Water shortage forces Iraq to tighten crop plan
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq is facing an acute irrigation crisis as declining water inflows from neighboring countries force authorities to restrict crop cultivation, a senior official said Wednesday.
Agriculture Ministry advisor Mahdi Dhamad al-Qaisi told Shafaq News that this year’s summer agricultural plan banned rice cultivation, which consumes large amounts of water, as part of efforts to address the shortage.
For the 2025–2026 winter season, al-Qaisi said the Ministry of Water Resources confirmed that stored reserves are insufficient to meet irrigation needs, prompting the Cabinet to adopt a revised plan focused on wheat, Iraq’s main strategic crop. He added that farmers will rely on groundwater wells and modern irrigation systems, noting that 13,000 sprinkler systems have been contracted, with about half already distributed to farmers to support sustainable production.
“The ministry is operating under unstable environmental conditions, making it difficult to determine the exact area of wheat cultivation, though it is expected to be smaller than in previous years,” he said.
In July, the Ministry of Water Resources reported that reduced water releases from upstream countries and climate change had sharply depleted national storage, describing 2025 as one of Iraq’s driest years since 1933.
Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues
According to the United Nations and international environmental reports, Iraq ranks among the world’s five most climate-affected countries. A UN study estimated that by 2040, Iraq will need $233 billion in investments—equivalent to 6% of its GDP annually—to meet urgent development needs and achieve sustainable, inclusive growth.
