Kurdistan Farmers Harvest Famed Sunflowers Amid Drought

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Farmers in the Kurdistan Region's Bitwen Plain have begun harvesting this year's sunflower crop, a product renowned as one of Iraq's finest, even as severe water shortages and drought threaten the quality and future of the harvest.

The harvesting process in the plain is a collective effort. Early each morning, farmers armed with sickles and sharp knives descend on the fields to cut the sunflowers, which are then piled high. Tractors immediately transport the harvest to the threshing floor where, after drying, they are winnowed to separate the prized seeds from the straw and chaff. Finally, the cleaned seeds are put into sacks, ready for sale.

Despite the activity, there is an undercurrent of concern. This year's crop has been heavily impacted by environmental challenges. "This year, sunflowers were planted, but there was both water scarcity and drought," farmer Uzer Sheikh Arif told Kurdistan24. "There was one farmer who didn't water his crop for 18 days, and this affects the sunflowers, as the kernels might be hollow and not fully mature."

The impact is significant. While approximately 1,000 dunams of land in the Raparin Administration were planted with spring sunflowers, farmers have been advised not to plant an autumn crop due to the persistent water shortages.

Despite the challenges, the sunflowers of the Bitwen Plain maintain their reputation for superior quality, which is reflected in their market price of 2,500 to 3,000 Iraqi dinars per kilo. Farmers take immense pride in their local product. "The taste and quality of the local sunflower cannot be compared to any other," said Pishtiwan Manguri, who has planted several dunams. He added that the local sunflower "tastes good and won't make you sick, but the imported ones are all unhealthy."

The product is known across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq for its large kernels, thin shells, and delicious taste. In the past, the region's sunflowers were used in the oil production industry, but the harvest is now so small that the seeds are used exclusively for local consumption as salted snacks.

The challenges faced by the Bitwen Plain's sunflower farmers are a microcosm of a severe and escalating climate crisis gripping Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The United Nations has repeatedly ranked Iraq as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change, which include rising temperatures, drastically reduced rainfall, and increasing desertification.

This environmental crisis is exacerbated by geopolitical factors.

The water flow of the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the lifeblood of agriculture in the region for millennia, has been severely diminished due to extensive dam construction in upstream neighboring countries, particularly Türkiye and Iran. 

The combination of these factors has had a devastating impact on the agricultural sector, threatening food security, displacing farming communities, and putting unique, high-quality local crops like the Bitwen sunflower at risk.

Kurdistan24's correspondent Aras Amin contributed to this report.