There are more than 600 vineyards in Rawanduz district (Erbil province). A disease spreading in the district has been targeting vines. This has led to a shortage in this year’s grape yield. Heavy rains at the end of spring and cold weather have facilitated the spread of this rare disease. Other crops have also suffered this year.
Mahmood Garwayi, a farmer, spoke about the shortage of grapes in his vineyard: “I have been living in this district for around 15 years, but there has never been such a low yield as this year.”
Most of the grapes sold on the market in the Kurdistan Region are imported from Turkey and southern Iraqi cities.
“This year, during the ripening of the grapes, there was sudden cold and rain, which affected the grape yield, and also, when there was a lot of rain, the temperature also rose and humidity formed, which led to the spread of diseases,” Hakim Abdullah, director of agriculture in Soran, said on Tuesday.
Source: rudaw.net