Farmer Radhi Chali Al-Sukayni holds a ripe watermelon harvested from his field in the Shatt al-Mayit area of northern Basra, where he successfully cultivated 70 dunams of crop despite high soil salinity and limited water supply. Photo by 964media
Basra farmer defies odds with record watermelon crop in saline soils
BASRA — A farmer in northern Basra has successfully cultivated 70 dunams of watermelon in the saline soils of Shatt al-Mayit, exceeding the combined planting area of all local farmers in past years, officials said.
Radhi Chali Al-Sukayni, from Al-Thaghar subdistrict, told 964media the spring harvest was achieved despite high soil salinity and limited water. He plans to begin summer planting in July.
“We managed to cultivate watermelon on a large area during the spring season,” he said. “We use seeds from Al-Islah in Dhi Qar because they’ve shown strong growth and yield.”
His produce is sold across Qurna, Al-Madina, Al-Deir, and Al-Huwair, and sometimes in central Basra. Prices are based on the “car-load” system, which calculates by volume rather than weight.
Fadhel Al-Maliki, head of the agriculture division in Al-Thaghar, confirmed the scale of the achievement. “In previous years, the total watermelon area didn’t exceed 50 dunams, and many farmers quit due to poor soil and water shortages,” he said. “This is an important trial that could be expanded.”