Historic harvest: Karbala wheat yield tops 305,000 tons

Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Karbala has recorded a historic wheat harvest exceeding 305,000 tons, marking the highest output in the province’s history for the 2024–2025 agricultural season, Karbala’s Directorate of Agriculture announced on Tuesday.
“This year’s output is unprecedented,” said Directorate spokesperson Baher Ghali in a statement to Shafaq News, adding, “In the past, production rarely exceeded 3,000 tons—until major reforms transformed the agricultural system.”
Ghali attributed the record yield to the expansion of center pivot irrigation, with over 3,000 systems now operating across Karbala’s farmlands. Wheat was cultivated on 365,000 dunams, mostly in reclaimed desert areas irrigated with artesian wells and advanced sprinkler systems.
Of the total harvest, 305,000 tons of wheat were delivered to the state-run Grain Trading Company. Prices varied based on irrigation method: wheat grown using center pivots fetched 850,000 Iraqi dinars per ton (about $650), while crops using traditional irrigation were sold at 800,000 dinars per ton (about $610).
He credited the success to both the dedication of Karbala’s farmers and support from the Ministry of Agriculture, which distributed more than 700 modern sprinklers this season as part of its national push to modernize irrigation and expand agriculture into the desert.