Visitors examine date varieties displayed at the ninth Duluiyah Date Festival in Salah Al-Din governorate, where farmers showcased more than 150 cultivars. Photo by 964media.
Duluiyah shows off 150 date varieties at its ninth festival
SALAH AL-DIN — More than 150 date varieties, most of them native Iraqi cultivars, went on display at Duluiyah’s ninth date festival, where farmers showed off the town’s large Barhi and introduced new varieties grown through tissue culture.
Duluiyah’s Barhi are big and, growers say, “cool,” meaning lighter to eat, so that someone can manage 10 to 15 at a sitting. Festival supervisor Amer al-Sheikh Idham credited the town’s fertile soil and fresh water. Some Breim on show were notably large, which participant Abdul Hakim Daham put down to careful irrigation, soil and upkeep. “The ninth edition saw greater participation than last year, with new and distinctive varieties in terms of quality, taste and size,” he said.
Alongside Iraqi dates such as Makawi, Breim and Maktoum were varieties new to the area. Omar al-Jubouri said three were added this year, among them Saqei, similar to Sukkari, Ajwa al-Madina and Rotana al-Madina. Palm specialist Othman Baban said tissue culture had widened the range farmers can grow.
The festival began nine years ago to encourage residents to plant more palms, said Shaalan al-Jubouri, who has planted 14 on a 300-square-metre plot with varieties from Balad, Basra and Nasiriyah. Agricultural activist Muntaser Salem put Iraq’s varieties at around 600, with about 150 now in Duluiyah.