Water shortages slow pomegranate production in Duhok village
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Pomegranate production has slightly decreased in a village in Duhok as a result of water shortages and a drop in temperature.
A farmer in the village in Duhok’s Zakho district says he has been growing pomegranates for 67 years and is currently facing challenges. He pleads for water to be extracted from the Khabur River nearby in order to nourish their lands and increase their production.
“Last year, there was no place here. I took [pomegranates] outside and sold them there,” Mahdi Aziz, a farmer in the village told Rudaw’s Haydar Doski last week.
The village is famous for its tasty pomegranates and the village where 127 gardens exist.
The pomegranate grown here is more expensive than other ones on the market.
Salman Ali, a farmer, said that they are “100 to 200 dinars more expensive than other pomegranates in the market.”
This year's pomegranate production was between 30 to 40 tons and compared to previous years and farmers say the production has decreased due to water shortages and rising temperatures.
Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN.
In the meantime, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has long warned that the water available in Iraq is set to decline by around 20 percent by 2025, threatening the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry.
A farmer in the village in Duhok’s Zakho district says he has been growing pomegranates for 67 years and is currently facing challenges. He pleads for water to be extracted from the Khabur River nearby in order to nourish their lands and increase their production.
“Last year, there was no place here. I took [pomegranates] outside and sold them there,” Mahdi Aziz, a farmer in the village told Rudaw’s Haydar Doski last week.
The village is famous for its tasty pomegranates and the village where 127 gardens exist.
The pomegranate grown here is more expensive than other ones on the market.
Salman Ali, a farmer, said that they are “100 to 200 dinars more expensive than other pomegranates in the market.”
This year's pomegranate production was between 30 to 40 tons and compared to previous years and farmers say the production has decreased due to water shortages and rising temperatures.
Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN.
In the meantime, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has long warned that the water available in Iraq is set to decline by around 20 percent by 2025, threatening the long-term stability of Iraq’s agriculture and industry.