ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Orchards on Mount Shingal are on the verge of drying out, severely affecting the livelihood of local farmers.
“We have 150 fig trees and grapevines and 120 of them have dried out,” Shingal farmer Hassan Miksin said. “There are hundreds of farmers suffering just like us.”
Most of the produce grown on Mount Shingal’s orchards is figs and grapes, with more than a thousand families in the area depending on the crops for their livelihood.
Shingal’s tobacco farmers are also suffering from the drought. Area farmers produced 150 tons of tobacco in 2019. The number is expected to drop to 50 tons this year.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
