Fig season opens in Duhok with promising yield outlook

Shafaq News- Duhok

The fig harvest from around 270,000 trees in Duhok’s Akre district in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) started later than usual this summer after a prolonged winter and heavy rainfall, the local Agriculture Department Director told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Current agricultural indicators point to good yields, with production expected to increase gradually as the harvest progresses, while farmers are monitoring the crop in the coming days to assess the impact of weather conditions, Fadel Mustafa noted.

Akre is known across the KRI for several varieties of figs, supported by its geography and conditions favorable to cultivation. Vendor Lazkin Hassan Ali told Shafaq News that figs currently sell for between 5,000 and 15,000 Iraqi dinars ($3.82-$11.45) per kilogram, depending on variety and quality, attributing the high prices to limited supplies at the beginning of the season.

Demand remains strong for household consumption, with most customers buying between one and three kilograms. The fruit is also used to make jam and several local dishes.