Mi2 Helo Spraying Keeps Dubas Beetle In Check
Perhaps it's not the most strategically important battle to
occur in Iraq in recent months... but it's still an important
victory. The country's Agriculture Ministry improved its ability to
protect the nation's commercial date palm crop from deadly dubas
beetles through a nationwide spraying program completed last
week.
Pilots and maintenance crews increased their coverage by 33
percent this year, spraying nearly 170,000 acres in six provinces.
Last year, crews sprayed just more than 120,000 acres in four
provinces, according to the American Forces Press Service.
"Left unchecked, the dubas beetle, which bores into the tree and
kills it, can seriously disrupt the production of dates in the
area," said Mike Stevens, a Baghdad 7 Embedded Provincial
Reconstruction Team agriculture advisor.
In the 1970s, dates were Iraq's second-largest export, behind
only oil. With more than 30 million date palm trees and more than
600 varieties, Iraqi annual production of dates once exceeded
700,000 tons. But the date palm industry was slashed by more than
half and lost most of its world markets after the Iran-Iraq war and
after sanctions were imposed following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait.
In the past two years, Iraq has begun the long, hard road to
recovery.
To assist this recovery, Iraqi pilots and crews used two
Russian-built Mi2 helicopters to spray date palm groves in the
provinces of Babil, Baghdad, Diyala, Karbala, Najaf and Wasit. They
overcame multiple challenges during the campaign, including time
constraints, dust storms, a shortage of spare parts, and a lack of
bases that could accommodate the helicopters.
Iraq's Defense Ministry, provincial reconstruction teams, and
coalition forces supported the pilots, who sprayed some areas that
had not been covered since before the fall of Saddam Hussein in
2003.
The Agriculture Ministry already has started planning for next
year. The ministry has appropriated $20 million to buy new
helicopters and spare parts for 2009 and expects to treat a larger
percentage of the crop next year.
"The real challenge now is to rebuild the date-packaging
industry and re-enter the export market to regain market share,"
Stevens said. "Convincing purchasers that Iraq is once again a
reliable supplier will take time. But within five to 10 years,
don't be surprised to see packages of dates labeled 'Grown and
packaged in Iraq' in your neighborhood grocery store."