Rain-fed melons return to Kirkuk fields after a decade of drought

KIRKUK — Farmers in the Daquq district of Kirkuk governorate are growing traditional rain-fed melons again for the first time in a decade, after heavy rains ended years of drought and brought back the conditions the crop needs.

The melon, known locally as dimi, draws entirely on moisture held in the soil rather than irrigation. Haiman Shakour, a farmer from the village of Yengija, said this year’s abundant rain revived cultivation, though the saturated clay soil pushed planting later into the season. Unlike tomatoes or eggplants, he said, the melons are never watered by sprinkler.

To avoid waiting another decade for the right rainfall, Shakour said he and other farmers are now experimenting with sprinklers, hoping to coax the crop even in drier years. The melon comes in several local varieties: “Some are sweet, some are sour, and there are varieties that combine sweetness and sourness,” he said. Because of the summer heat, the harvest lasts only two to three weeks, with farmers picking daily.

What has kept the crop alive through the dry years is seed. “We have seeds that have been stored for many years, perhaps passed down from our grandparents to our parents until they reached us,” Shakour said, explaining that the seeds keep for years because the melons are grown only when the rains allow.

Iyad Hussein, director of Daquq’s agriculture department, said the office keeps no production figures for rain-fed melons or other summer crops. “We do not have accurate statistics on rain-fed melon production or other summer crops because there is no agricultural plan for summer crops, in addition to the absence of government support for farmers in this field,” he said. Farmers in Daquq hope future wet seasons will let them keep growing the melon, which they see as part of the area’s heritage.