Tomato farmers in Bardashini struggle to sell 100-ton harvest in peak season

SULAYMANIYAH — A family in Bardashini village, located in the Gaphiloni subdistrict of Sulaymaniyah’s Mawet district, says they have harvested nearly 100 tons of tomatoes this season but are facing serious difficulty selling their produce.

“We’ve been growing tomatoes here for 12 years,” said Wahab Karim, a farmer from Sharbazher. “But unfortunately, this year our beautiful local crop cannot be sold properly.”

Karim said the family planted tomatoes on five donums of land, producing about 20 tons per donum for a total of nearly 100 tons. The entire extended family — brothers, sisters, and their spouses — takes part in planting and harvesting, a process that spans from mid-May through the end of October.

Their livelihood depends on selling the crop during peak agricultural months, but this season has proven especially challenging.

“We sell each kilogram of tomatoes for 300 dinars, about 22 cents, and deliver our produce to the wholesale market in Sulaymaniyah,” Karim said.

Despite the ability to send up to 10 pickup trucks of tomatoes to the market each day, the family struggles to sell even two truckloads.

“It’s very hard to get them sold in the market,” he said.

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