Date output to hit 150K tonnes in Iraq’s Diyala

Shafaq News- Diyala

Diyala's date production is expected to reach about 150,000 tonnes during the 2026 season, up roughly 20,000 tonnes from last year, the province's Agriculture Directorate said on Sunday.

Mohammed al-Mandlawi, a spokesman for the Directorate, told Shafaq News that the current season has seen further expansion in the cultivation of rare and commercially important date varieties, particularly Barhi and Medjool. New palm orchards have also been established, with more than 60,000 palm offshoots planted so far.

"Diyala's palm sector has expanded significantly in recent years," he added, noting that the number of palm trees in the province has reached more than 2 million.

On Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in wheat and dates, detailing that the number of date palms in the country has risen from about 12 million after 2003 to 22 million in 2026.

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