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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    Iraq: 3,000 farms struggle to survive in Basra

    Rocky
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    Iraq: 3,000 farms struggle to survive in Basra Empty Iraq: 3,000 farms struggle to survive in Basra

    Post by Rocky Tue 12 Sep 2023, 5:00 am

    Iraq: 3,000 farms struggle to survive in Basra

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    Economy News - Baghdad
    The situation in Basra Governorate, overlooking the waters of the Arabian Gulf, in southern Iraq, is no different from the rest of the Iraqi governorates, and it may be the worst in the country’s history due to the bulldozing and population expansion it is witnessing, in addition to the natural factors represented by drought and desertification.
    The oil-rich governorate, 550 kilometers south of Iraq, is witnessing a severe agricultural crisis that has struck all its regions after it was among the list of agricultural governorates that fed all regions of Iraq with a number of crops, most notably dates and wheat, as the rate of agriculture in the governorate decreased by 80 percent compared to what it was years ago, according to Specialists.
    A member of the General Union of Agricultural Societies in Iraq, Tawfiq Ali Mazid, said, “The drought and desertification that Basra Governorate is witnessing is the worst in its history, and constitutes a direct threat to the lives of residents, in addition to the spread of poverty and deteriorating economic conditions that led to the migration of large numbers of farmers.” Mazid explained. The governorate included more than 30 million palm trees, approximately ten thousand tomato farms, and vast areas of strategic crops such as wheat and barley, in addition to vegetables, henna, and vines.
    He explained that the governorate suffers from a scarcity of agricultural returns as a result of the low level of production and the decline of the agricultural reality, due to the limited increase in areas of desertification and drought, which led to an increase in the percentage of salinity in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab. Mazid said that the seizure of large areas of agricultural land by oil companies, as well as the expansion of cities, led to the decline of agricultural areas that were included in the basic design of cities, the loss of their agricultural status, the leveling of lands, and the construction of residential complexes on them. He pointed out that the governorate, after covering the needs of the population and exporting the surplus abroad, now imports vegetables, grains and dates from neighboring countries.

    Seasonal Plan
    The Basra Governorate Agriculture Directorate revealed its annual plan for the current summer season, which decreased by 11 thousand agricultural acres compared to last year 2022, and that its efforts are continuing to provide the needs of farmers according to its available capabilities.
    The director of agriculture in the governorate, Hadi Hussein, said that his directorate completed the summer plan for the current season with an area of ​​​​more than 39 thousand dunums, in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture’s approval of the cultivation of 28 thousand dunums for the desert areas that are irrigated with wells during the plan, in addition to providing a number of farmers with modern irrigation methods and fertilizers.
    He pointed out that the irrigated areas were excluded from the summer plan for this season, causing the loss of more than 11 thousand dunums during this season alone due to water scarcity, and that his directorate is working to invest in modern irrigation methods to improve the agricultural situation.
    In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Hussein called for the necessity of making efforts and developing appropriate solutions to solve the water scarcity crisis, activating diplomatic efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the countries bordering Iraq, and implementing international resolutions and agreements such as the Ramsar Convention, the Algiers Convention, and other agreements that stipulate the sovereignty of the country. Iraq and its access to adequate shares of water.

    Lack of support
    For his part, a member of the Agriculture Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Haitham Al-Zarkani, said that Parliament’s efforts are continuing to support the Iraqi agricultural sector, which faces many challenges represented by water scarcity and the provision of modern agricultural methods for farmers. Al-Zarkani added to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that there is a complete absence of government support for peasants and farmers, and the government did not provide the necessary support in the form of fertilisers, seeds, fuel and plastic sheets, criticizing the plans of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to confront the major crisis that Basra Governorate is suffering from.
    He pointed out that the levels of desertification and drought that the governorate is witnessing portend major environmental risks that will negatively impact the social, economic and health conditions of the population, calling on the Iraqi government and relevant ministries to find realistic solutions to overcome the risks of the crisis. Al-Zarkani noted that the misuse of water and the lack of rain, in addition to the factors affecting climate change that greatly affected the Iraqi reality, in addition to the decline in water supplies from upstream countries, are factors that led to a direct threat that must be addressed and overcome as quickly as possible.

    Decrease in agricultural areas
    Natural factors and high temperatures did not directly affect agriculture in Basra Governorate, because most of the crops grown in the governorate depend on high temperatures, but the governorate’s crisis is related to poor agricultural policy and the declining role of Iraqi diplomacy in providing Iraq’s full shares of water. Speaking to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, the economic researcher, Ali Al-Amiri, said that the regions east and north of Basra Governorate included more than 12,000 farms for various agricultural crops, in addition to large numbers of palm groves, while the regions south and west of Basra included more than 7,000. A farm for tomato crops only, in addition to more than 5,000 other farms specialized in growing other summer crops.
    Al-Amiri added that the total number of current farms in Basra Governorate does not exceed 3,000 farms only, while approximately 9,000 farms have gone out of agricultural service, due to the large expansion in the area of ​​drought and desertification. He explained that the province currently depends on importing agricultural crops from Iran, despite the possibility of investing in existing lands and reclaiming large areas of land west and south of Basra, which contain large quantities of groundwater, through the use of irrigation methods and modern agricultural techniques.
     
    Source: Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed
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