Diyala Council announced on Tuesday that it received official approval from the Ministry of Agriculture to review and expand the summer agricultural plan across the province’s 21 agricultural districts.
Council Chairman Omar Al-Karawi said the decision came after a major improvement in Diyala’s water reserves following the filling of the province’s five dams.
He explained that total water reserves have now exceeded 4 billion cubic meters, encouraging the council to officially request a reconsideration of the current summer farming plan.
According to Al-Karawi, the Ministry of Agriculture approved a new review of the plan that will add tens of thousands of dunams to the agricultural areas already approved for cultivation during the summer season.
He stressed that Diyala remains one of Iraq’s key agricultural provinces and plays an important role in supplying local markets, especially Baghdad, with large amounts of crops and produce.
Al-Karawi added that the improved water situation is expected to directly increase agricultural production across the province.
At the same time, he emphasized that protecting local farmers is just as important as boosting production. He called for tighter regulation of imported agricultural products at border crossings to prevent local markets from becoming oversupplied in ways that could hurt Iraqi farmers.
He urged authorities to adopt a balanced policy that protects domestic agricultural products while continuing to support local farmers and increase food production.
