Iraqi Agriculture in Crisis
Agriculture in Iraq is experiencing a downturn as farmers leave their family trades for more lucrative government positions with steady salaries and government benefits, writes Omar al-Shaher.
Beset by a lack of expertise, capability and workforce, agriculture in Iraq — and other sectors of the economy — is dysfunctional.
In the mid-1990s, following the invasion of Kuwait, an economic blockade was imposed on Iraq, preventing the import of vital goods. Vast tracts of Iraqi land were used at the time to meet 50% of the domestic wheat demands.
According to experts, agriculture represented 7% of Gross National Product (GNP) in the 1990s.
In the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq war, agricultural productivity decreased by 90%. The workforce shifting toward state employment, a lack of government subsidization and the lingering effects of long years of severe drought all took their toll on agriculture. From 2004 until 2010, Iraq witnessed its driest winters on record.
