Water scarcity and environmental degradation threaten cotton in Iraq.. Farmers demand urgent solutio

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[size=52]Water scarcity and environmental degradation threaten cotton in Iraq.. Farmers demand urgent solutions[/size]

[size=45]Cotton cultivation in Iraq faces many challenges that hinder the productivity of this important crop. Although Iraq has suitable climatic and environmental conditions for cotton cultivation, there are several factors that stand as a stumbling block to achieving high productivity and excellent quality.[/size]
[size=45]Although Iraq ranks fourth in the Arab world in cotton production, the cultivation of this crop used in manufacturing faces many challenges that are not limited to the effects and repercussions of drought alone.[/size]
[size=45]One of the main reasons for the decline in agriculture and industry after 2003 is the reluctance of farmers, which was caused by the wide openness to imports without real support from the government. This could contribute to reducing production costs and creating real competition with imported products.[/size]
[size=45]The Director General of the Department of Agriculture in Wasit Governorate, Arkan Al-Shammari, says, “Cotton is a summer crop, and for more than nine years there has been no agricultural plan for cotton cultivation. There are several reasons that have led to the disappearance of cotton cultivation, most notably drought and water scarcity.”[/size]
[size=45]He added: “Iraq could occupy advanced positions if the factors that help develop the cotton farming sector are available, as there are no stable marketing outlets for the cotton crop in Iraq until now. In the past, the crop was received from farmers through textile factories and oil factories, but the production of these factories has been halted for years.”[/size]
[size=45]He explains that “the period of the crop’s presence in the ground is very long. It is planted at the end of February and remains in the ground until December, which is a very long period compared to agricultural seasons, because it stresses and depletes the quality and materials of the soil.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Shammari confirms that “farmers are reluctant to grow cotton because of the high cost of production and the many diseases and epidemics that the crop is exposed to. However, in the past, it was one of the most important crops in Iraq, and Wasit Governorate alone used to cultivate about 15,000 acres with high production quantities.”[/size]
[size=45]The northern regions of Iraq are currently the main base for cotton cultivation, as farmers agree with private marketing agencies before harvesting the crop and agreeing on the price, which gives farmers comfort in cultivation that continues for several months.[/size]
[size=45]For her part, the Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Water and Marshes, Susan Koger, says, “Cotton is one of the crops that is very necessary for the country’s economy, because it increases the economic income, and there must be interest in growing this crop, because it is one of the important products, and it is also used as a raw and basic material in many textile industries.”[/size]
[size=45]She added, “Activating the cultivation of this crop enables us to operate many industrial facilities and factories that depend on cotton as a raw material for their products, as its cultivation will spare the country from importing such materials. Moreover, its availability in the markets will meet local needs and also provide job opportunities for the region and community in which these farms and factories are located.”[/size]
[size=45]The reasons for some farmers’ reluctance to grow cotton are attributed to the fact that “the conditions that the country has been through recently, especially the scarcity of water, have led to a decline in agriculture in general, in addition to the fact that cotton is one of the crops that require constant care in order to protect it from insects and agricultural pests, as they pose great harm to the farmer.”[/size]
[size=45]She advises that “there should be encouragement for farmers by the government through providing modern irrigation methods to secure water for cotton fields, in addition to providing seeds for high-yielding varieties that are compatible with the natural and climatic conditions in Iraq, along with securing fertilizers and pesticides. All of this will encourage the farmer, and therefore there will be abundant and good production, and it is necessary to have warehouses to receive the cotton.”[/size]
[size=45]Ten varieties of cotton are grown in Iraq, while the cultivated areas have decreased over the past two decades in the cotton-producing regions of Iraq due to agricultural policy and the imbalance between revenues and expenditures compared to other alternative crops.[/size]
[size=45]In the Arab world, Egypt, Sudan, and then Syria are the Arab countries that produce the most cotton, with an average of 600,000 bales, 350,000 bales, and 160,000 bales, respectively. However, cotton cultivation in the three Arab countries suffers from problems or internal unrest, and this applies to Iraq, which came in fourth as the largest producer of cotton last year, followed by Yemen with an average of 8,000 bales.[/size]
[size=45]In 2023, Iraq ranked fourth in the Arab world in cotton production, after Egypt, Sudan, and Syria, as its production reached 15,000 bales (one bale of cotton weighs about 218 kilograms), according to the Foreign Agricultural Service platform of the US Department of Agriculture.[/size]
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