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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's agriculture ministry said on Sunday that the wheat production in the country has significantly decreased this year, with rice production reaching zero, as a lack of rain continues to take its toll.
'This year, out of 5.1 million dunams of land planted with wheat, due to a lack of rain, the production is approximately 5.12 million tons, while last year it was 5.4 million tons,' Mahdi Sahar al-Jubouri, Iraq's deputy agriculture minister, told Rudaw.
Reduced releases of water from upstream Turkey, compounded by an already dry winter season, also 'resulted in zero rice production this year, while last year we planted 200,000 dunams with rice and the production was about 150,000 tons,' Jubouri added.
Iraq's water resources ministry has labeled 2025 as the 'driest year' since 1993.
Iraq is reeling from a worsening water crisis. The country ranks fifth among the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change, according to the United Nations - effects exacerbated by Turkey and Iran's upstream damming of rivers that flow into Iraq.
The lack of a comprehensive water-sharing agreement with both countries, combined with the lack of rain this year, has made the situation more difficult.
The World Resources Institute places Iraq among 25 countries that face extreme water stress, meaning that it is using over 80 percent of its available supply of water and is at risk of running out of water in case of any short-term drought.
According to Jubouri, Iraq maintained a stable production of fruits and vegetables 'since these crops don't require large amounts of water.'
Water scarcity in Iraq is also pushing families in severe drought-struck regions to the brink. On Sunday, migration and displaced ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas told Rudaw that over 17,000 families have migrated from the Basra, Dhi Qar, and Maysan provinces in the past decade due to 'drought, water scarcity, and desertification.'
Public pressure is also growing. Southern provinces like Basra have seen widespread protests in recent weeks over severe water shortages and pollution.
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