Iraq reaches self-sufficiency in dates, agriculture ministry says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Agriculture Ministry said the country has achieved self-sufficiency in date production and is working to restore its historical position as a global leader in the sector. Hatem Karim, the director-general of horticulture at the ministry, told the state news agency that tissue culture techniques are being rapidly expanded to produce date palm seedlings. The method allows millions of disease-free saplings to be cultivated in a short period, the ministry said. Officials added that around 20,000 tissue culture seedlings were imported three months ago from a certified laboratory in the United Kingdom, the only source approved under rules restricting imports to disease-free, certified facilities. The ministry said the number of date palm trees in Iraq has risen from 12 million to more than 22 million since 2003, and that around 600,000 tons of dates were exported last year. It also distributes seedlings to farmers at subsidized prices and provides drip irrigation systems to support production. Karim said newly planted trees entering production in the coming years are expected to further increase exports. No further details on export markets or production targets were immediately available.