The Agriculture Committee in the Iraqi Parliament has confirmed the expansion of date palm investment across 22 agricultural districts. They also highlighted the need to be vigilant about the dangers of agricultural pests that threaten date palm trees.

The committee noted that the opening up of export opportunities for hundreds of thousands of dates from several Iraqi provinces, combined with improved revenues and growing demand in various Asian markets, has driven the increase in date palm investment in these districts.

They added that agricultural investment offers many benefits, especially given that the past four decades have seen a concerning decline in date palm numbers due to pests, drought, and land reclamation. However, there is now a trend toward investing in model farms using rare varieties for export, which will create various economic benefits and help compensate for the loss of orchards in recent decades.