Lack of rain and government support plunged Saladin wheat season to unprecedented low

Shafaq News/ A senior official of the Union of Peasants Associations in Saladin anticipated disappointing wheat season due to scarce rainfall and government support.

The chair of the Peasants Association Union in Saladin, Karim Kurdi al-Dulaimi, said, "the wheat production this season will drop by half compared to the last season due to drought, power outages, oil scarcity, and lack of government subsidies." 

"The production of the current season will not exceed 400 thousand tons. Last season's was 740 thousand tons." 

"Lack of state subsidies to fertilizers, seeds, fuel, and electricity inflicted huge financial losses between 15 million to tens of millions." 

"This is Saladin's worst season... Wheat growers might abandon their lands...They did not receive the entitlements of last season, which amount to 160 billion dinars...Besides, part of the entitlements of 2014 has not been received. This plunged the farmers and Agricultural companies into a very critical situation and huge debts."