Garmiyan holds weekly market for locally produced food products

Visitors to the market can buy fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers who produced them. 
A Kurdish farmer showcases his honey jars at the weekly market in Garmiyan, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)
A Kurdish farmer showcases his honey jars at the weekly market in Garmiyan, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Farmers showcased their products, which include honey and dates, in a weekly market in Garmiyan in the Kurdistan Region’s east.

The organizers of the weekly market expect it to continue and expand in the coming weeks.

A cluster of dates is shown at the weekly market, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)
A cluster of dates is shown at the weekly market, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)

Visitors to the market can buy fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers who produced them. 

Packaged honey are shown in weekly market in Garmiyan, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)
Packaged honey are shown in weekly market in Garmiyan, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)

Garmiyan has a very suitable climate for growing dates. A Kurdish farmer there has grown three different kinds of dates, including Zahidi and Gwezi.

Dates, fruits, and vegetables are presented for customers at Garmiyan weekly market, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)
Dates, fruits, and vegetables are presented for customers at Garmiyan weekly market, Oct. 20, 2021. (Photo: Harem Jaff/Kurdistan24)

Honey, a popular food, is also available in the market. Since it is naturally produced, with no additives, the honey is considerably expensive. A 150-gram jar, for example, costs 40,000 Iraqi dinars (nearly $28), according to a Kurdish farmer. 

Halabja recently held its pomegranates festival, in which various kinds of the fruit were showcased. The event was attended by thousands of visitors from all across the Kurdistan Region.

Farmers at that fair attributed the declining quality and quantity of the fruit to the lack of rain over the past year.

Drought was cited by many farmers as a new challenge they have to deal with.

Read More: PHOTOS: Despite drought-affected orchards, Halabja launches pomegranate fair

Additional reporting conducted by Harem Jaff