A scene of the Baghdad's agricultural team visiting the Haji Aga project in the village of Girdachal within the Pirmam district. Photo: Pirmam Agricultural Department
Plan looks to preserve plant seeds
New plant bank planned for Soran to promote agriculture
SORAN — Soran’s General Directorate of Agriculture is spearheading the creation of a new plant bank within a soon-to-be-established agricultural research center in the villages of Barzewa and Razhdur.
“This plant bank will be dedicated to preserving local seeds, aiming to bolster the growth of our agricultural sector,” said Kamran Hussein Mamand, the General Director of Agriculture for Soran Administration.
The move follows efforts by Baghdad’s Ministry of Agriculture to collect and conserve local plant species throughout the region. In November 2023, a specialized team visited the Pirmam area to gather and cultivate indigenous plants.
The team, part of an office working on conservation and inspection of seeds, visited the Haji Agha project in the village of Girdachal within Pirmam district.
“Some of the plant species collected will be conserved in Baghdad’s specialized agriculture bank, while others will be replanted in specific areas designated for ecological development, including an Abu Ghraib farm,” said Abdulghafur Mala Taha, a representative from the Erbil forestry directorate.
The Soran plant bank initiative highlights a growing focus on regional agricultural development and seed conservation efforts in the Kurdistan Region.