Karbala says 90% of desert land now used for farming projects

KARBALA — Nearly 90% of Karbala’s desert land is now under cultivation or livestock projects, the province’s agriculture directorate said, highlighting growth in palm and fruit orchards backed by public and private investment.

Issa Awad al-Masoudi, director of agriculture, told the state-run Al-Sabah newspaper that projects in the desert include wheat fields and palm groves managed by private investors and institutions such as the al-Abbas Holy Shrine, while livestock projects cover poultry, eggs, meat, sheep, and calves.

“The number of palm trees has reached 3,130,161, with 2,752,961 producing, while 377,200 are still in the pre-production stage,” al-Masoudi said.

He added that Karbala has 884,815 fruit trees across 120,669 dunams of orchards, employing 17,375 farmers.