ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is planning to expand date palm cultivation into the Kurdistan Region, targeting its warmer areas as part of a broader effort to boost production and diversify agriculture, a federal official said on Wednesday.
Hatem Karim, director general of the Iraqi horticulture department, told Rudaw that the country has made significant progress in restoring its palm tree population over the past two decades.
"In 2003, the number of date palms in Iraq was approximately 12 million; however, based on the plan we implemented, that number has now risen to more than 22 million palms," Karim said.
Karim also outlined a new initiative aimed at introducing date palm cultivation to the Kurdistan Region. "After the success of two experimental date palm forests in Kirkuk and Nineveh, we intend to coordinate with the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Agriculture to replicate that experience in the warmer areas of the Kurdistan Region," he said.
The push comes as Iraq’s agricultural sector faces mounting challenges from climate change.