Iraq's prized rice crop threatened by drought

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AL-ABASSIYA, Iraq - Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, the aromatic basis of rich lamb and other dishes, and a key element in a struggling economy.

The long-grained variety of rice takes its name from its distinctive scent, which is similar to that of amber resin. It is used in Iraqi meals including sumptuous lamb qouzi, mansaf and stuffed vegetables.

"Since I was a child I have planted amber rice," says the farmer in his 70s, his face wrinkled and unshaven, dressed in a white dishdasha robe.Normally, rice fields planted in mid-May should stay submerged all summer until October - but that's a luxury Iraq can no longer allow. Previously, more than 70 per cent of the amber crop was grown in Diwaniyah and neighbouring Najaf provinces.

The consequences are dire: depleted rivers, more intense sandstorms, declining crop yields - all of which add to the multiple challenges the country faces after decades of war and insurgency.The Tigris and Euphrates, and their tributaries, originate in Turkey and Syria as well as Iran, which dams them upstream. This reduces the flow as they enter Iraq.

But agriculture is not the only sector where the infrastructure needs upgrading in a country grappling with corruption and a financial crisis after decades of war.Hassoun lamented that Iraq has become"a market for all its neighbours", a reference to the deluge of Iranian and Turkish agricultural product imports.

 

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