ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The famous walnut trees in Hawraman, on the Kurdistan Region's border with Iran, are on the verge of extinction due to a wave of fungal diseases and severe drought, farmers and officials have warned.
Nariman Hama Salih is a walnut farmer in Hawraman. He says of 300 walnut trees that he had in his orchard, 50 of them have completely dried out and he is forced to cut them down.
"I have been trying to cure these walnut trees for the past three to four years, but to no avail. I am forced to cut them down, the surviving trees may get infected and die, too. Year after year, or day after day they dry up," Salih told Rudaw on Monday. "There are no treatments for them."
"I even used pesticides for them, but they were all too useless. I am now cutting them down. I am forced to turn the orchard into land for farming other things," he added.
Hawraman is home to more than 110,000 walnut trees, according to the Halabja’s Directorate of Orchards. More than 30 percent of trees have died this year.
The director of Halabja's gardening department told Rudaw that the disease has been around for some time, and even pesticides are not helping.
"There are 110,000 walnut trees in our area," Najmadin Omar said, adding that an approximated 15 to 20 percent of the trees have either died out over the years or are drying out, negatively affecting the supply of walnuts in the market.
Hawraman supplies Kurdistan Region markets with 70 to 100 tons of walnuts every year.
Nariman Hama Salih is a walnut farmer in Hawraman. He says of 300 walnut trees that he had in his orchard, 50 of them have completely dried out and he is forced to cut them down.
"I have been trying to cure these walnut trees for the past three to four years, but to no avail. I am forced to cut them down, the surviving trees may get infected and die, too. Year after year, or day after day they dry up," Salih told Rudaw on Monday. "There are no treatments for them."
"I even used pesticides for them, but they were all too useless. I am now cutting them down. I am forced to turn the orchard into land for farming other things," he added.
Hawraman is home to more than 110,000 walnut trees, according to the Halabja’s Directorate of Orchards. More than 30 percent of trees have died this year.
The director of Halabja's gardening department told Rudaw that the disease has been around for some time, and even pesticides are not helping.
"There are 110,000 walnut trees in our area," Najmadin Omar said, adding that an approximated 15 to 20 percent of the trees have either died out over the years or are drying out, negatively affecting the supply of walnuts in the market.
Hawraman supplies Kurdistan Region markets with 70 to 100 tons of walnuts every year.
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