Iraq Approves 2026 Summer Agriculture Plan as Water Supply Stabilizes

Iraq has approved its 2026 summer agriculture plan, setting out planting areas for more than 1 million dunums under surface irrigation and 362,277 dunums reliant on well water. The plan was drawn up as water resources appear more stable than in previous years, although specialists caution that this does not amount to lasting water security. The program gives particular prominence to the return of shalip production, also known as sugar beet, with planting areas designated in several provinces, including Najaf, Diwaniya and Muthanna. Yellow corn and summer vegetables are also included in the plan. At a smaller scale, the plan also covers white corn, sunflower, cotton, sesame and millet. Officials and experts view the broader agricultural allocation as an effort to organize summer cultivation under tighter water conditions. Specialists, however, say water stocks on the Euphrates remain weak and warn that continuing open irrigation and traditional farming methods carries risk. They argue that the apparent improvement in supply should not be mistaken for a durable solution to Iraq’s water challenges.