ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish farmers in the Sargaran district have not been able to plow their farms since November, prohibited by the Iraqi army, and now the season for sowing their seed is coming to an end, according to the head of the farmers' defense committee in the Sargaran district.
"We are not allowed to plow our lands until today, while it is way too late and the longer it is delayed the more damage the crops will take," Mohammed Amin, head of the farmers' defense committee in Sargaran district, told Rudaw on Tuesday.
He added that even though it is too late, they still have up to ten days to plow their lands and they are waiting for a decision from Kirkuk that will allow them to continue their work.
Kurdish farmers in the villages of Palkana, Shanagha, Sarbashakh, and Gabaraka in the Sargaran district are not allowed to plow their lands, while the lands are watered and it has been time to plant grain since mid-October.
Head of the agriculture committee in the Kirkuk provincial council said that he will meet with Rebwar Taha, the governor of Kirkuk on Tuesday, and one of the topics of discussion will be to solve the problems of the farmers.
Early in November, the Iraqi army prohibited Kurdish farmers in the Sargaran subdistrict from plowing their fields in preparation for planting winter crops. Some Kurdish farmers also claimed Arab farmers have blocked them from working their farms. The land in dispute was part of Baathist-era demographic changes that forced Kurds and Turkmen off their land and brought in Arab settlers.
Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha intervened and an agreement was reached to allow Kurdish farmers temporary access to most of their land to plant. However, farmers in the area say they are frustrated because they are still being denied access.
After 2003 and the fall of the Baath regime, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization within the framework of Article 140 of the constitution, which aims to reverse the demographic changes carried out by former dictator Saddam Hussein. The article has never been fully implemented.
There is a bill in parliament to restore confiscated lands to the original owners, but voting on it has been delayed repeatedly.
Kurdish lawmakers in September boycotted a session that excluded the bill. In late October, the parliament adjourned its session after tensions rose between Kurdish and Sunni lawmakers over the proposed bill. Kurdish members of parliament have said that there is also opposition among Shiites. In November, a scheduled vote was postponed.
