Shafaq News- Diyala
Wheat production in Iraq’s Diyala has dropped by 50–55% thisseason after severe water shortages forced authorities to reduce cultivatedareas across the province, local agricultural officials said on Wednesday.
Director General of Diyala Agriculture Directorate IyadAl-Jubouri told Shafaq News that severe water shortages at the start of theseason forced authorities to reduce the areas allocated for wheat cultivation.
While many farmers struggled to secure sufficient waterquotas to irrigate their farmland, thousands relied on rainfall, which helpedimprove production during the latter part of the season.
According to Al-Jubouri, cultivated areas inside and outsidethe official agricultural plan exceeded 300,000 dunams (about 30,000 hectares),while the expected marketed production would surpass 200,000 tons, quantitieshe said would achieve self-sufficiency in the province.
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Earlier this month, wheat harvest season began in Diyala,Karbala, Najaf, and Basra. In its 2025 annual report, the International GrainsCouncil forecast Iraq’s 2026 wheat crop at 5 million tons, down from 6.3million the previous year, while imports are expected to rise to 2.1 milliontons from 1.5 million in 2025.
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