East Erbil wheat farmers suffer heavy losses in ‘worst season’ in years

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Farmers in Koya district, east of Erbil, have suffered losses exceeding 16 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $12.2 million), as reduced rainfall and delayed planting left more than 36,000 dunams of wheat fields unusable, making it one of the worst agricultural seasons in the district’s history, local officials said.

Director of Agriculture for Koya, Kamaran Amir, told Rudaw on Tuesday that “this is the first time something like this has happened in parts of the Koya plains. Even during drought years, the situation wasn't this bad.”

He warned that “this year’s harvest won't be possible in most of Koya's agricultural lands, as farmers have suffered enormous losses.” 

According to Amir, farmers delivered around 28.25 tons of wheat to Koya’s collection center last year, generating more than 21.7 billion Iraqi dinars (about $16 million). This year, however, output is expected to fall by more than half, with projected earnings dropping to just 4–5 billion dinars ($3–3.8 million).


Faqeh Fatah is a 70-year-old farmer from the village of Timarok, south of Koya. He told Rudaw that “this year the rainfall was delayed, and when it finally rained, the crops had already dried up and became useless.”



He said he plowed his land twice this year with no benefit.

“I planted eight tons of wheat, using eight different types of chemical fertilizers. I spent more than 25 million Iraqi dinars (around $19,000), but I’ve lost it all,” the Koya farmer said.

With over 55 years of farming experience, Fatah described this season as his worst ever.

“Last year, I delivered 25 tons of wheat and sold another 25 tons independently, despite difficulties in distribution,” he said.

He urged authorities to “establish ponds and dams and develop a strategic plan to support the agricultural sector.”

This year, about 102,000 dunams of land were planted with wheat across Koya district, but large portions of the plains were severely affected by the weather.



Data from the Koya Directorate of Agriculture indicates the district has over 13,400 farmers and around 231,800 dunams of agricultural land.

Rainfall this year totaled just 204.9 millimeters - nearly two-thirds less than last year’s 689.8 millimeters - and was too scattered to properly saturate the soil.