Sweet smell of success: Kurdistan’s rose farmer

[Anthea]

Drought threatens 1 million acres of land, wheat fields in Kurdistan

The director of crop production at the agriculture ministry has said nearly 1 million square-acres of land in the Kurdistan Region have been rendered barren due to the drought that has stuck during this year’s planting season.

“Due to the lack of rainfall during this year’s plantation season, I predict that only 60 percent of land has been planted with wheat compared to last year, and nearly 1 million acres of land have been left barren and unplanted,” Faruq Ali, the director of crops production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water resources, told Rudaw.

The lands where crops have already been planted, are also suffering the effects of the drought. Nearly 40 percent of this year’s wheat production has already been compromised by the lack of necessary rainfall, he added.

The wheat planted has not grown sufficiently due to the drought, Ali explained. “That is why nearly 40 percent of the wheat planted has been lost,” he added.

According to ministry figures, the amount of land utilized for wheat production has increased year-by-year over the past eight years — from 1.937 to 3.552 million acres.

The ministry had predicted that 3 million acres of land will be wheat-sown.

Normally in Kurdistan, a good amount of rain falls in the fall, winter and spring.

Fall rainfall helps with ploughing, plantation and growth. Winter rainfall helps the wheat deepen its roots, and spring rainfall helps with the growth and enlargement of the crop yield.

“The lack of rainfall in any season affects the amount of the product planted. The lack of rainfall in winter, spring or fall will affect the amount and quality of the product,” Ali explained.

“Because the silos receive only wheat for flour, which needs more water than other types of wheat, that is why the type of wheat planted might cause another problem and lead to reduced overall production,” he added.

Last year, nearly 1 million tons of wheat was produced, of which 372,000 tons were purchased from farmers.

According to figures produced by the ministry, farmers had sold nearly 400,000 tons of wheat to Iraqi traders in 2017. Some of the product was also replanted.

Ali worries of what shortages are ahead if proper irrigation measures are not followed.

“This year, wheat production might not be as good in barren lands. We have more than 500,000 acres of land that are irrigable. I think they will produce 400,000 tons of crops if farmers irrigate them well. This gives us good hope that we won’t have problem providing wheat to mills,” he detailed.

The problem isn’t unique to Kurdistan.

“Because of climate change, rainfalls have changed. That is why we have to increase production through planting other types of wheat and encourage farmers to plant barley rather than wheat in areas with low rainfall,” Ali added.

According to figures produced by the directorate general of meteorology and seismology, the rainfalls compared to the previous year are less: in Erbil province 61.2 percent, 71.6 percent in Sulaimani, 55.5 percent in Duhok, 68.9 percent in Kirkuk, and 37.4 percent in Halabja.

“The rate of rainfall this year compared to the same period of last year across the Kurdistan Region has dropped by 50 percent. For example, total annual rainfall in Erbil province is 400 to 450 millimeters [per square meter]. Only 337 millimeters of rain fell last year. Total annual rainfall in Duhok is 600 millimeters, yet 431 millimeters of rain fell last year,” Fazil Ibrahim, director general of meteorology and seismology, told Rudaw.

According to Ibrahim rain also started to fall late in the Kurdistan Region. For example, rain started to fall at the end of November this year – 55 days later than its usual average start.

Farmers planted wheat in many places in the Kurdistan Region following the rainfall of late November, but are about to lose hope of their harvest.

“Due to the lack of rainfall, nearly 30 percent of the wheat we have planted has grown, but hasn’t grown enough. That is why we are unsure we will be able to even make the money we spent on planting,” Ali Mohammed, farmer from Qushtapa near Erbil city, said.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/business/250120181

[Anthea]

Sweet smell of success: Kurdistan’s rose farmer

Kurdistan Region – Sidqi Barwari developed an interest in roses 19 years ago while plucking a bouquet for the guest table of the KRG prime minister. He is currently one of the biggest rose importers in the Kurdistan Region and is beginning to grow his own.

Barwari is the founder of Kurdistan Flower – a company that grows and imports flowers.

He started his business 13 years ago with a shop, importing and selling flowers. He said that he has faced problems importing flowers from abroad, especially in Turkey because of the name of his company.

“Airports in Turkey cause many problems for me because the name of my company is Kurdistan. They were at times saying that they had a corpse to transport and couldn’t therefore transport my flowers. They were delaying my imports by a week, which harmed my business because flowers are delicate and cannot last for long,” he said.

When he first started importing, he was buying flowers from Iran and Turkey. These days, he is bringing them from The Netherlands, Ecuador, Colombia, and Kenya.

Two years ago, he built a garden to grow roses.

“I want to build the biggest rose farm in Iraq. It will cover 20 acres of land. As a test and a first trial, I have planted roses in a 4,000-square metre plot of land which I have rented,” Barwari said.

He picks 1,500 to 2,000 roses in his garden and sells them to florists in town every day. He also exports to Mosul and Baghdad. His goal is to sell 200,000 roses monthly.

Across Iraq, the demand for roses is about 400,000 monthly. Barwari said he would need $3 million if he were to build a farm that could monopolize the market.

According to statistics produced by the directorate general of gardening and forests at the Ministry of Agriculture, nearly 7 million seedlings and roses are imported to the Kurdistan Region. This means a lot of cash is sent abroad for roses.

“After my project is finished, I will be saving Kurdistan $3 to $4 million which is sent abroad every year for importing roses,” Barwari said.

The biggest problem facing agriculture and farming businesses in the Kurdistan Region is selling their produce. But Barwari is not discouraged because he says he already has the confidence of consumers.

He says his roses are larger and longer lasting than imported blooms.

“We have tested our roses. They can stay fresh for 18 days without needing chemicals, whereas chemicals are used on roses imported to Kurdistan. They stay fresh for no more than a week,” he said.

Barwari said his homegrown flowers will be cheaper than imports.

“The worst quality imported rose costs 34 cents and the best $1. The ones I have planted sell for no more than $1 abroad, but I will sell them for 50 cents or less to traders,” said Barwari, who gets orders for his roses from Iran, Jordan, and Lebanon.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/business/31012018