Iraqi date capital: Al-Suwayrah tops 100K tons in record season

 Shafaq News – Wasit

Al-Suwayrah, a key date-producing district in Iraq’s Wasit province, has reclaimed its position as the country’s top grower, harvesting over 100,000 tons this season—the highest national yield—according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

In a statement, the ministry credited the surge to more than one million fruit-bearing palms spread across 24,000 dunams (6,000 hectares), producing over 50 premium varieties such as Barhi, Khastawi, Khadrawi, Ashrasi, Jamali, Halawi, Sayer, and Maktoum, prized for flavor and export value.

Bahjat Khamis, head of Al-Suwayrah’s agricultural office, attributed the record harvest to state support, especially from the Plant Protection Directorate, which supplied certified pesticides and led pest control campaigns against threats like the red palm weevil.

Once the world’s leading date exporter, Iraq dominated 75% of the global market until the late 1960s, but decades of conflict and disease devastated the sector, dropping it to ninth place globally. To reverse the decline, the government launched a recovery plan replanting over 22 million palms and setting a long-term target of 30 million to restore the industry’s former strength.

Read more: How Baghdad’s Backyards Are Bringing Back Iraqi Dates

Meanwhile, local replanting is gaining ground in Baghdad, where residents and cooperatives are restoring urban palm groves to preserve the crop’s cultural and economic role.

Despite progress, water scarcity remains a major obstacle, with ongoing drought and reduced river flows jeopardizing agriculture—especially in the southern regions where palm cultivation is most concentrated.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Iraq ranked fourth globally in 2023 with 735,000 tons of dates harvested from an estimated 17 million palms, exporting 600,000 tons to key markets including Turkiye, India, Egypt, Jordan, and several Gulf and European countries. 

Read more: Iraq's agricultural landscape: Overcoming challenges amid water scarcity