Diyala Province Celebrates Date Harvest with Annual Festival

Photo By Capt. Richard Ybarra | Attendees of the Diyala Province Annual Date Festival enjoy both the plentiful date harvest and abundant conversation on the afternoon of Oct. 8, in Baqouba, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

BAQUBAH, IRAQ

10.25.2007

Story by Capt. Richard Ybarra 

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By 1st. Lt. Richard Ybarra
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAQUBAH, Iraq —Farmers from Diyala province continued a thirty-year-old tradition by holding the annual Date Festival on Oct. 8, at the Provincial Council Assembly Hall to celebrate the date harvest and showcase the 86 different varieties of dates that are farmed locally to Baqubah market and business owners.

"I asked the farmers if we should have the festival this year, they answered, we must have it, in spite of the obstacles," stated the Chairman of the Diyala Provincial Council Agriculture Commission, Ibrhiem Ali Abdull Jabar. "This is a victory in itself. It shows that we are back in business."

The date is an important part of the culture in Iraq, and Diyala province in particular.

The tree is used for a variety of products that encompass the entire tree, which results in zero waste, according to Mr. Jabar, also a member the Provincial Council, tantamount to a state legislature.

Jabar continued to point out that the leaves are used for to make products from carpets to tissue and are also ground with the date seeds to make feed for animals. The wood is used for construction, toys, furniture as well as multiple other wood products. The fronds, the bark that is trimmed from the tree as it grows, is used by children as floats to assist in swimming.

The date itself is eaten as a fruit and used to make cakes, cookies, candies and jam.

"Date cultivation is thought to have originated in Iraq over 4,000 years ago. It is cited in such texts as the Koran and the Bible as a central part of ancient life," stated Mr. Jack Killen, agricultural advisor for the Diyala Provincial Reconstruction Team, highlighting the historical and cultural importance of the fruit to the region.

The 2006 date harvest was a major success as the average harvest per palm was increased from 35kg to 70kg through an aggressive aerial pesticide spraying program.

In early 2007 the security situation in Diyala deteriorated as al-Qaida in Iraq moved north from Bagdhad into the province due to coalition forces pressure in the capital.

However, due to the increased security provided by the Iraqi security forces, the dates for this year were successful.

Ali Hussain, the bilingual and bicultural advisor for the Diyala PRT and agricultural engineer, stated, "We were unable to use the planes for aerial application of pesticides due to the security situation and were limited in the amount of groves we could spray by hand. We were able to spray ten percent of the groves in a coordinated plan that involved identifying critical areas in the province that are breeding grounds for insects and parasites that feed on the date palms."

The final numbers for this year's harvest have yet to be determined, however early indicators are positive, according to Hussein.

"What you are seeing here today, these fine dates, is the result of a long year's work, of a great project that involved thousands of people," stated Ibrahim Bajelaam, a contractor that assisted dozens of farmers with pesticide spaying services coordinated through the provincial government and the PRT. "We were very concerned with the security situation when we started this project. I am happy to say that this effort was completed without a single incident involving the workers."

Killen added that date cultivation is worth $10 million to the economic base of the province. The groves employed thousands of people throughout the 2007 farming year in such activities as the aforementioned pesticide spraying, pollination, canal maintenance and harvest. The majority of this work is done by hand, requiring thousands of labor hours to complete.

The festival had a modest attendance but was considered a great success. "The date itself and its health is reflective of the province, as the date harvest gets better, Diyala province gets better," stated 1st Sgt. Bruce Reges of the Diyala PRT.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2007
• Date Posted: 10.25.2007 04:50
• Story ID: 13290
• Location: BAQUBAH, IQ