Baghdad – IA – Hassan Al-Fawaz
Today, Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture announced the transfer of two million dunams in the Samawa Desert for investment and for the purpose of cultivating different types of dates, while indicating reliance on a new method it called “smart irrigation” as well as wells powered by solar energy to water crops, revealing their advantages.
The Director General of the Agricultural Investments Department in the Ministry, Iyad Al-Bulani, told the (INA): “Al-Muthanna Governorate is one of the most promising governorates for investment, as it is distinguished by its virgin lands, which made its production abundant by relying on groundwater, as well as on modern irrigation systems where it was cut off.” “We have made great strides in this field and over large areas.”
He explained, “The production of Muthanna Governorate per dunum by adopting these methods reached the range of one and a quarter to one and a half tons, in contrast to lands cultivated in the traditional method in other governorates, whose production ranges from 600 to 800 kilograms per dunum.”
He added, “The Samawa Desert includes two million dunams, which were transferred for investment and specifically divided into the Al-Muhandis and Al-Safsaf companies, for the cultivation of various types of dates.”
Regarding the ministry’s projects, he explained, “There are various projects for investment in the agricultural sector, such as establishing factories, establishing green oases, and planting roadsides with palms, olives, and jojoba plants, which are considered a windbreak and work to improve the environment.”
He stated, “The Ministry worked to establish a complete underground irrigation system called (smart irrigation), dedicated to gardening. Its advantages include preserving water from wastage, and pumping water and fertilizer directly to the root. This type of irrigation benefits palm and fruit trees.”
He continued, “The Ministry also established wells that operate on solar energy, and the water from those wells is distributed through pivot irrigation systems to grow strategic crops,” stressing that “this experiment was carried out to grow more than 5,000 tons of wheat on a small area.”