Shafaq News- Babil
Fig growers in Kifl, south of Iraq's Babilprovince, are celebrating one of their strongest harvests in years afterimproved rainfall and water supplies boosted production, while urging thegovernment to suspend fig imports during the local season to protect domesticfarmers.
Hussein Malik, who operates a fig market in Kifl,told Shafaq News that this year's harvest, which began on June 20, hadsurpassed last season in both volume and quality following improved weatherconditions and higher water levels.
The district is expected to produce around 5,000metric tons of figs this season, with shipments reaching markets across Iraq,from Basra in the south to the Kurdistan Region in the north.
Despite the strong harvest, growers said theyremained concerned about crop diseases and the possibility of imported figsentering the market during the peak selling season.
"Iraqi figs are of higher quality and bettertaste than imported ones," Malik said, warning that imports would depressprices and hurt local farmers.
Farmer Laith Abdul Azim said abundant water in theEuphrates had transformed this year's crop after severe drought damagedorchards in recent years.
Another grower, Anad Al-Musallamawi, said traderswere traveling directly to Kifl to purchase the fruit from farms, whileincreased supply had pushed prices down from about 10,000 Iraqi dinars ($7.60)per kilogram at the start of the season to around 3,000 dinars ($2.30).
: Iraq's farmers fed the state. Now they're waiting to be paid.
