Iraq continues rice cultivation following 2-year hiatus amid water challenges

(MENAFN) Iraq has reinitiated rice cultivation after a two-year hiatus caused by severe water shortages. This season, the country has designated 150 square kilometers (65 square miles) for rice farming, aiming to produce approximately 150,000 tonnes of rice, according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Mahdi Sahar al-Jubouri. The resumption comes after a period of restricted rice production, where only five to ten square kilometers were cultivated annually for seed purposes due to a critical water crisis exacerbated by upstream dams built by Turkey and Iran, low rainfall, and climate change effects.

The improvement in water availability, attributed to heavy winter rains, recent flooding, and assurances of increased water supplies from Turkey, has facilitated this revival. Iraq's agriculture sector had been severely impacted by these water issues, transitioning from a major rice and wheat producer to one of the world's top importers of these staples. The country has also struggled with soil salinity, ineffective irrigation systems, drought, and the consequences of decades of conflict, which damaged its agricultural infrastructure and turned it into a significant buyer in global markets.

Despite the renewed rice cultivation efforts, Iraq still relies heavily on imports to meet domestic demand, with plans to import about 1.25 million tons of rice this year, maintaining the same level as the previous year. The country’s food rationing program, established during Saddam Hussein's regime, remains a crucial component of its food security strategy.

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