Date harvest begins in Iraq

Adnan Abbas, who owns a date palm farm in Diyala, an eastern city of Iraq, inherited the farm from his father and has been in the business since childhood. He described the process of growing and harvesting dates: 'The date season starts in the winter. We clear the soil in the winter and start working on the palms. We begin pollinating the palm trees in March. In June, we pull the branch or stalk that carries the date cluster downward. These branches are ready to be picked or harvested starting in August.' Abbas noted that there are dozens of varieties of dates in Iraq. The most notable ones, he said, are the 'Barhi,' 'Breym,' 'Cozi,' 'Coz es-Semave,' 'Hıyaret Hit,' 'Mektul,' and 'Bilge' varieties. He added that there are 150-year-old date palms in Diyala, a city famous for its dates. Abbas said that this year's harvest is yielding more than last year, attributing it to the care and attention given to the palms. He recalled, 'In the past, Turkish pilgrims passing through here on their way to the Hajj loved the 'Makkavi' variety. Pilgrims who came every year would specifically seek out and buy this type of date.' Abbas also noted that they can harvest up to 400 kilograms of dates from some trees and that the prices vary depending on the variety.