Duhok Grape Harvest Hits 80,000 Tons as Honey Output Triples
Duhok's 19th Grape and Honey Festival opens in Kurdistan Region with 80 farmers, as officials report grape output at 80,000 tons and honey at 300 tons.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Under the banners of 80 farmers' stalls, the 19th Grape and Honey Festival opened in Duhok on Saturday, bringing the Kurdistan Region's harvest to the public for three days. Agricultural officials say this year's yields have risen sharply over last year's.
The festival will run through Oct. 5. Its doors open to the public daily from 11 a.m. until late at night.
Eighty stalls have been prepared for 80 farmers, who will display and sell their homegrown products directly to visitors.
Ahmad Jamil, Director General of Agriculture in Duhok, told Kurdistan24 that good rainfall and a long spring this year pushed grape and honey production well above last year's levels.
Grape production reached 80,000 tons, compared with 60,000 tons last year, an increase of 20,000 tons.
Honey production reached 300 tons. Jamil said that is three times last year's figure of only 100 tons.
Jamil said more than 35,000 tourists visited the festival last year. This year, organizers expect far more people to attend.
Duhok province is regarded as one of the most important agricultural areas in the Kurdistan Region and has the largest grape output. According to Duhok's horticulture statistics, more than 39,000 donums across the province are planted with grapevines. The areas of Mangesh and Zawita are among the best-known grape-growing locations.
The province has more than 100 grape varieties, among them black, Kamali, Tayfi, Reshmiri and Zarak.
Each year, the Kurdistan Regional Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, bans the import of grapes from abroad while local crops ripen. The measure is meant to market domestic produce and support farmers.
The annual festival helps farmers and beekeepers sell their products. It also draws large numbers of tourists from Iraq's other provinces and from across the Kurdistan Region.
Beyond direct sales, two large factories to receive grapes and produce juice have opened in Duhok, so that farmers' crops do not go to waste.
As the festival continues through Oct. 5, officials are counting on a bigger turnout than last year's 35,000 visitors, and on a harvest that has outgrown its predecessor.
