“Due to the lack of rainfall during this year’s plantation season, I predict that nearly 60 percent of land has been planted with wheat compared to last year, and nearly 1 million acres of land have been left barren and unplanted,” Faruq Ali, the director of crops production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water resources, told Rudaw.
The lands already where crops have already been planted are suffering the effects of the drought too. Nearly 40 percent of this year’s wheat production has already been compromised by the lack of necessary rainfall, he added.
The wheat planted has not grown sufficiently due to the drought, Ali explained. “That is why nearly 40 percent of the wheat planted has been lost,” he added.
According to ministry figures, the amount of land utilized for wheat production has increased year-by-year over the past eight years — from 1.937 to 3.552 million acres.
The ministry had predicted that 3 million acres of land will be wheat-sown.
Normally in Kurdistan, a good amount of rain falls in the fall, winter and spring.
Fall rainfall helps with ploughing, plantation and growth. Winter rainfall helps the wheat deepen its roots, and spring rainfall helps with the growth and enlargement of the crop yield.
“The lack of rainfall in any season affects the amount of the product planted. The lack of rainfall in winter, spring or fall will affect the amount and quality of the product,” Ali explained.
“Because the silos receive only wheat for flour, which needs more water than other types of wheat, that is why the type of wheat planted might cause another problem and lead to reduced overall production,” he added.
Last year, nearly 1 million tons of wheat was produced, of which 372,000 tons were purchased from farmers.
According to figures produced by the ministry, farmers had sold nearly 400,000 tons of wheat to Iraqi traders in 2017. Some of the product was also replanted.
Ali worries of what shortages ahead if proper irrigation measures are not followed.
“This year, wheat production might not be as good in barren lands. We have more than 500,000 acres of land that are irrigable. I think they will produce 400,000 tons of crops if farmers irrigate them well. This gives us good hope that we won’t have problem providing wheat to mills,” he detailed.
The problem isn’t unique to Kurdistan.
“Because of climate change, rainfalls have changed. That is why we have to increase production through planting other types of wheat and encourage farmers to plant barley rather than wheat in areas with low rainfall,” Ali added.
According to figures produced by the directorate general of meteorology and seismology, the rainfalls compared to the previous year are less: in Erbil province 61.2 percent, 71.6 percent in Sulaimani, 55.5 percent in Duhok, 68.9 percent in Kirkuk, and 37.4 percent in Halabja.
“The rate of rainfall this year compared to the same period of last year across the Kurdistan Region has dropped by 50 percent. For example, total annual rainfall in Erbil province is 400 to 450 millimeters [per square meter]. Only 337 millimeters of rain fell last year. Total annual rainfall in Duhok is 600 millimeters, yet 431 millimeters of rain fell last year,” Fazil Ibrahim, director general of meteorology and seismology, told Rudaw.
According to Ibrahim rain also started to fall late in the Kurdistan Region. For example, rain started to fall at the end of November this year – 55 days later than its usual average start.
Farmers planted wheat in many places in the Kurdistan Region following the rainfall of late November, but are about to lose hope of their harvest.
“Due to the lack of rainfall, nearly 30 percent of the wheat we have planted has grown, but hasn’t grown enough. That is why we are unsure we will be able to even make the money we spent on planting,” Ali Mohammed, farmer from Qushtapa near Erbil city, said.
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