Kirkuk farmers plant 1,300 palms in agricultural trial

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Farmers in Kirkuk’s Altun Kupri subdistrict have begun planting around 1,300 date palm offshoots from 14 Iraqi varieties, expanding a successful agricultural pilot project, a local official said on Tuesday.

Mariwan Al-Salihi, director of the subdistrict’s Agriculture Department, told Shafaq News that the initiative, “the first of its kind” in Altun Kupri, began with 130 offshoots planted on farmer Sherko Hasari’s land, adding that farmers encouraged by the results brought in additional varieties from orchards in Baghdad, Al-Hillah, and Diyala.

Al-Salihi noted that agricultural researchers had coordinated with local farmers on the project, estimating that a mature palm could yield up to 150 kilograms of dates, depending on the variety. He hoped the initiative would attract investment and diversify local production.

In September, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Qusay Al-Hattab told Shafaq News that Iraq had achieved self-sufficiency in wheat and dates during the 2026 agricultural season. The country’s date palm population had grown from approximately 12 million after 2003 to 22 million in 2026, increasing production, particularly of Zahdi dates, Iraq’s most widely cultivated variety.

Abbas Ali, a member of Iraq’s farmers’ associations, previously estimated annual date production at more than 850,000 tonnes, of which around 700,000 tonnes are exported to Arab and international markets.

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