Salah Al-Din farmers complete annual sesame harvest despite water challenges

SALAH AL-DIN — Farmers in Dhuluiya, Salah Al-Din governorate, have completed their annual sesame harvest, with families gathering to bring in the crop planted in July. This year, 148 acres were dedicated to sesame—a notable increase from last year’s 99 acres—as locals worked quickly to finish the harvest before the rainy season sets in.

With the aid of modern machinery, the harvest now takes only one day, a significant improvement over the previous manual method, which required ten days. Currently, Iraqi sesame fetches between 3,000 and 3,500 Iraqi dinars ($2 to $2.30) per kilogram.

Despite the increased cultivation, the local agricultural office has not been actively promoting sesame farming. Ahmed Mohammed, head of the Dhuluiya Agriculture Department, explained that due to sesame’s high water demands, there are no government plans to support it. Instead, officials are advising farmers to shift towards crops that require less water.

“Water scarcity is a major challenge in these agricultural areas, where most farmers rely on wells for irrigation,” Mohammed noted.

Sesame farmer Ismail Ibrahim expressed pride in the quality of the crop despite limited support and water constraints. “Despite the lack of support, we have successfully grown premium-quality sesame,” he said.

Running from July through October, the sesame harvest season sees farmers irrigating their fields every ten days. After collection, the seeds are spread on plastic sheets to dry under the sun.