Resilient crop
From a teacup of seeds to 74 acres: Safflower gains ground in Babil
BABIL — In the fields of northern Babil’s Kutha district, farmer Saud Al-Khalidi stands amid rows of safflower plants — the result of more than two decades of work that began in 2001 with just a teacup of seeds.
Today, safflower is cultivated across 300 dunams (74 acres) in Babil, making the governorate Iraq’s second-largest producer after Wasit, which has about 1,000 dunams (247 acres) under cultivation.
Al-Khalidi described safflower as a hardy and water-efficient crop well-suited to Iraq’s increasingly dry climate. “Safflower withstands drought and needs less than three irrigations. Its deep taproots help retain water longer,” he told 964media.
The plant’s uses are diverse. Its seeds are processed into cooking oil and soap, its blossoms are used as natural colorants and spices, and its agricultural residues serve as animal feed.
Al-Khalidi said that before 2003, the Iraqi government purchased safflower in the same way it procured sunflower crops. That program ended, leaving farmers to rely on private grain traders.
After replanting his fields in 2013, Al-Khalidi began advising other farmers across various governorates, especially during years marked by river droughts. He believes that if safflower were recognized as a strategic crop alongside wheat and barley, cultivation would expand significantly.
“If the government included safflower among main crops, like wheat and barley, cultivation would increase notably,” he said.
