Iraq resumes rice cultivation after two-year ban with new climate friendly strain

Iraq has resumed rice cultivation after a two-year ban prompted by water scarcity, and is testing out a strain of the grain that consumes less water than traditionally planted versions.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Mahdi Sahar al-Jubouri told Reuters the country has earmarked 150 sq km (58 sq miles) for rice growing this season and forecast a yield of 150,000 tonnes, as officials said water is more abundant due to heavy winter rainfall and the promise of more water flows from Turkey.

This follows a two-year production ban which saw just 5 to 10 sq km of rice planted annually for the purpose of seed extraction, amid a water crisis that experts say was tied to upstream dams built by Turkey and Iran, less rainfall and other climate change-driven factors.

Iraq is one of the world's top 10 importers of rice and wheat, to supply a huge food rationing programme held over from the era of former ruler Saddam Hussein.

Decades ago, the country grew most of its own rice and exported wheat and barley and at one time was the world's top exporter of dates, until problems with soil salinity, poor irrigation systems, drought and decades of conflict all hit its agricultural sector and made it a major buyer on world markets.

Iraq will still need to import around 1.25 million tonnes of rice this year to meet domestic demand, the same as last year, grain board officials said.

Hybrid variety

Rice farming in Iraq typically begins in June and concludes with a harvest in November.

Several varieties of rice are grown, with the Amber rice, known for its unique aroma and flavour, the most popular.

Iraqi agricultural scientists have developed a new strain of rice, named Ghiri, which is a hybrid of the Amber and Jasmine varieties and can be planted using fixed sprayers without the need for flooding. It has been planted on a small scale this season under trial after being tested at the al-Mishkhab Research Station last year.

Plans are in place to broaden its cultivation in future seasons, Jubouri said in an interview with Reuters.

The government aims for the sector to transition from the traditional irrigation method, which involves flooding the crop with water, to using fixed irrigation systems and mechanical seeders.

Farmers adopting modern agricultural methods like sprinkler systems will be offered incentives akin to the support provided for wheat production such as higher prices for their produce, Jubouri said.

For the current 2024 season, rice farming has been permitted in five provinces: Najaf, Diwaniyah, Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Babel. Najaf province has been allocated the largest share.

Muhsin Abdul Ameer, head of the farmers’ association in Najaf province, said that approximately 80 sq km of agricultural land in the province has been planted, representing about 37 percent of the total agricultural land allocated across the country. The planted varieties include Amber, Jasmine and Euphrates rice.

Abdul Ameer said the planting season in Najaf province, which began in the middle of June, has now been completed.

The water, agriculture and marshes committee in the Iraqi parliament said rainfall last winter and pledges from Turkey to increase Iraq's access to water released from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that originate in Turkey had enabled the resumption of rice growing.

Lawmaker Hussain Mardan, deputy chairman of the committee, told Reuters that agricultural land will be expanded in the coming years by adopting drip irrigation methods for rice, which are currently under study, potentially reaching 1,000 sq km. 

(Reuters)