صناعه الدواجن في العراق الماضى والحاضر وآفاق المستقبل

الماضي:

*أصبح الاهتمام بانتاج وتوفيرالبروتين الحيواني عاملآ مهمآ في تنمية الثروة الحيوانية في بلدان كثيرة من العالم ,فالى جانب توفيرها الغذاء الجيد لشعوبها فهى تساعد في تحقيق الأمن الغذائي وبناء قاعدة أقتصادية متينة وتساهم في حل مشاكل اجتماعية كثيرة من خلال توفير فرص العمل لمواطنيها

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* ظهرت صناعه الدواجن في العراق بشكل مكثف وحد يث في القطاع العام أولآ نهاية الستينات, و خلال السبعينيات أقدمت الدولة على أنشاء عدد من الحقول أطراف بغداد في كل من المرادية والصويرة ومن ثم أنشأت ثلاث شركات للدواجن في الشمال والوسط والجنوب لتشرف على أنشاء أعداد كبيرة من المشاريع المتطورة والحد يثة لأنتاج بيض المائدة ودجاج اللحم بالأضافة الى شركة متخصصة بأنتاج وتوفير الأعلاف لهذه المشاريع من خلال معاملها المنتشرة في معظم أنحاء العراق .

*وفي السياق ذاته تم تنشيط القطاع الخاص لتركز في البداية على انتاج دجاج اللحم في حقول صغيرة ومتوسطة الحجم ومن ثم مشاريع البيض والأمهات ومعامل العلف والمجازر وأستمر هذا التوسع بشكل وبآخر لغاية منتصف الثمانينات حينما قامت الدولة ببيع جميع مشاريعها الكبيرة الى القطاع الخاص.

*بلغ أجمالي عدد الحقول المتخصصة بأنتاج اللحم عند ذاك 8446 و بلغ عدد المشاريع الكبيرة المتخصصة بأنتاج بيض المائدة و

التفقيس بنوعيه البياض واللحم و أفراخ أمهات اللحم 38 مشروعآ.

*عام 1989بلغ أجمالي أنتاج لحم الدجاج من المشاريع الكبيرة ومشاريع القطاع الخاص الصغيرة 260ألف طن و عدد البيض المنتج (1.6) ألف مليون سنويآ

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* وبهذا الأنتاج أصبح استهلاك الفرد العراقي سنويآ من لحم الدجاج المحلي 15 كغم فيما بلغ عدد البيض المستهلك 90 بيضة.

*خلال التسعينات تعرضت صناعة الدواجن لأضرار كبيرة نتيجة للحصار الأقتصادي حيث توقفت أعداد كبيرة من المشاريع عن العمل وتدنت مستويات الأنتاج بشكل كبير بعد أن تقلصت حقول اللحم العاملة الى 10% من طاقاتها و أنتاج بيض المائدة الى 15% .

ألحاضر

*خلال تنفيذ القرار الخاص بالنفط مقابل الغذاء رقم 986 حصل بعض التطور وخاصة خلال الأعوام الأخيرة من التسعينيات والسنوات اللآحقة حيث أرتفعت أعداد الحقول العاملة في الوسط والجنوب الى 35-40% وتخطت أعداد هذه الحقول في أقليم كوردستان ال100% مقارنة بالأعداد السابقة حيث تم أنشاء أعداد كبيرة من الحقول الصغيرةو متوسطة الحجم وكذلك تم تنفيذ مشروع كبير لأنتاج بيض المائدة في أربيل بطاقة 140 مليون بيضة سنويآ بالأضافة الى تشغيل مشروع راسون لجدود الدواجن الستراتيجي في شقلاوة بأربيل ايظآ حيث يبلغ الطاقة الأجمالية السنوية لهذا المشروع 1.5مليون فرخة أمهات اللحم نوع روز 308 بالأضافة الى عدد مماثل من أفراخ اللحم كأنتاج ثانوى.

*كان أجمالى عدد الحقول العاملة في العراق قبل نيسان عام2003 يقدر ب 3080حقلآ من ضمنها 61 مشروع لأنتاج بيض المائدة و 30 مشروعآ لأنتاج بيض التفقيس و2979 حقلآ لأنتاج دجاج اللحم و13 حقلآ لأنتاج الديك الرومى بالأضافة الى حقل واحد للأجداد في سامراء لأنتاج أفرخ أمهات اللحم عمر يوم واحد

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*تعرضت صناعة الدواجن بعد نيسان 2003 مرة ثانية لنكسة كبيرة وأزيلت بعضها بالكامل لاسيما في الوسط والجنوب حيث تقلصت أعداد الحقول العاملة بشكل ملحوظ, وبموجب الأحصائية التي أجريت في شهر شباط 2007 من قبل الأتحاد العرقي لمنتجي الدواجن أنخفض العدد الى980 حقلآ صغيرآ لفروج اللحم, ومشاريع بيض المائدة الكبيرة الى 12 ومشاريع الأمهات الى10ويقدر أنتاج هذه الحقول ب 44000 طن لحم دجاج و300 مليون بيضة مائدة و38مليون بيضة تفقيس سنويآ.

*أما في أقليم كوردستان فأ ن أعداد الحقول العاملة هي 632 حقلآ لفروج اللحم لأنتاج 54000 طن لحم دجاج و 5 حقول كبيرة لأنتاج 540 مليون بيضة ما ئدة سنويآ و7حقول لأنتاج بيض التفقيس بنوعيه بطاقة44 مليون بيضة سنويآ.

*ومشروع لدواجن الأجداد بطاقة 1.5 مليون فرخة أمهات عمر يوم واحد سنويآ.

*المشاكل معروفة للجميع لا داعى لذكرها بالتفصيل, أهمها عدم توفر الحماية اللازمة للأنتاج المحلي ومنها أمنية ومنها عدم توفر الكهرباء والوقود ومشاكل التسويق وفقدان التنظيم وعدم وجود رؤية مركزية وبرنامج مدروس لحماية هذه الصناعة وغيرها.

الأهداف وآفاق المستقبل:

*الطموح في المرحلة الأولى هو رفع أستهلاك الفرد العراقى من الأنتاج المحلي الى 20كغم من لحم الدجاج واستهلاك البيض الى 200 بيضة سنويآ,وهذا يعتبر طموحآ متواضعآ أذا ماقارننا بأستهلاك الفرد فى الدول المجاورة والتي تجاوزت 30 كغم لحم دجاج و300 بيضة سنويآ.

*حسب عدد سكان العراق التقديرىالحالي 31.500.000فأن الحاجة السنوية هي أنتاج 630.000 طن لحم الدجاج و6.30 مليار بيضة سنويآ.

*وهذا يتطلب وضع برنامج واضح المعالم يبدأ من تأهيل وأحياء المشاريع المتوقفة القديمة وأيجاد آلية لمساعدة الآخرين لبناء

 مشاريع جديدة وفق اتصاميم حديثة.

*بتصورنا سنكون بحاجة الى ثلاث برامج مختلفة:

1.دعم الحقول الصغيرة والمتوسطة الحجم الحالية من خلال صندوق خاص يشرف عليه الدولة أو أية جهة لتوفير مستلزمات الأنتاج وبالأخص المواد العلفية بأسعارمخفضة نسبيآ ولفترة محدودة لتحفيزأصحاب الحقول الصغيرة على أعادة تشغيل حقولهم وهذا سيؤدى في نفس الوقت على تسهيل تسويق وأستيعاب منتجات المشاريع الكبيرة من بيض التفقيس والأفراخ بأنواعها ويساعد على أيجاد فرص العمل لآلاف العاطلين.

2.تمويل المشاريع الكبيرة الحالية بقروض ميسرة وبشروط سهلة لتأهيل مرافق الأنتاج وتأمين مستلزماته ولاسيما في مجالي توفير المواد العلفية وقطع الغيار.

3.تشجيع الأستثمار في مجال صناعة الدواجن وتقديم القروض والدعم أبتداءآ من توفير الأرض والتسهيلات الأخرى الممكنة من الدولة وعلى مستويات مختلفة لأنشاء مشاريع جديدة صغيرة ومتوسطة وكبيرة الحجم وبشروط واضحة تراعى فيها جميع الأمور الفنية والقوانين النافذة.

*تشريع قوانين و أصدار تعليمات واضحة من الدولة بخصوص حماية الأنتاج المحلى للدواجن وأعطائها الأولوية في خططها المسقبلية.

د. صلاح مصطفى بكر

VANO GROUP 

أربيل ,العراق

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WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY CAN CREAT CRISES ON OUR PLANET

By Mohammed Sa’id Berigari, Senior Soil and Environmental Scientist-USA
Water is fundamental to all living systems yet often not appreciated in many so called developed countries. Benjamin Franklin once said that when the well runs dry, we know the worth of water. Today, not only are the wells running dry, but also streams, wetlands, and big rivers, like the Colorado, Euphrates, Ganges, Indus, Nile, Yellow and even Tigris- and this is having enormous impacts on ecosystems.
Drought in many countries of the world had caused drastic hungers such is the case now in Somalia. Unfortunately many more hungers are expected to occur unless concerted world efforts bring about major positive changes in the hydrological cycle. Conflicts among many nations are likely to occur due to increased demand for water with the increase of human population in such countries where limited clean water resources are available for human, animal and industrial uses.
Diseases from water contamination also pose serious threats for many. One billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion lack adequate sanitation services according to Peter Gleik, cofounder and president of the Pacific Institute, USA. He said that for too long we have failed to adequately consider how our water use affects ecosystems and how human activities affect water quality. Eighteen years ago, Milwaukee, Wisconsin experienced the largest documented water-borne disease outbreak in the US history when approximately 400,000 people became sick and 100 people died from water contamination with Cryptosporidium. There are many other cases of water contamination all over the world including sea water contamination with radioactive materials from nuclear plants like the one caused by the earthquake of this summer in Japan.
The problem of water quality and quantity is likely to intensify worldwide since it is more likely to get worse before it gets better because the population of the world is increasing and it is fastest in areas where water problems are most severe. Considerable delays also, have taken place in dealing with climate change within the scientific community, and it has largely become a matter of when, not if it will affect the hydrologic cycle. There is very clear and compelling evidence that humans are changing the climate of our planet. The hydrological cycle is the climate cycle according to Gleik and as we change the climate we will change the hydrology of the planet. Climate change will affect rainfall patterns, drought frequency, and soil conditions especially soil erosion which will in turn affect food production and the availability of water.
Even very slight changes in water availability from climate change are likely to tip the balance between having enough water and not having enough water in many places on our planet that are currently on the edge toward acute shortage.
It is time for serious debates about climate to take place worldwide, not about science but about technology, the policy, the economics, and the social responses that will be needed to address the unavoidable impacts of climate change. We can no longer wait for policy makers who hide behind scientific uncertainty or ignorance to delay taking actions.
Every country of our world today is under moral, social, and political obligation to adequately safeguard water resources from pollutants and the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as the Federal Iraqi Government should fulfill such obligation. Furthermore, the legislative body of both governments must engage in forming laws for up- to -date standards for drinking water and other safe domestic and industrial uses of water. That is in addition to drafting necessary laws for governing use of water and the means for preventing environmental pollution.
Moreover, every attempt should be made to harness clean water from rain, snow, and hails through construction of dams in the Kurdistan Region where its topography allows for such large and small scale projects. A parallel campaign is urgently needed toward reforestation to combat drought. The two campaigns will reinforce each other and will ultimately increase humidity in the atmosphere, thus increase the rate and frequency of rain and snow falls in the region that will supply enough water for intensive agriculture to flourish and combat drought. Eventually the climate of the entire region would be modified and dust storms and other types of soil erosions would be controlled significantly. Consequently a green revolution will become a reality not a dream.

 26.7.2011-Kurdistan

SEVEN TYPES OF FOOD PROVEN TO FIGHT CANCER

 By; Mohammed Sa’id Berigari, Senior Scientist, PhD- Soil and Environmental Chemistry, MS- Natural Product Chemistry,BS-Agronomy- USA.

About one third of all cancers can be prevented if people adhered to healthier lifestyle including eating healthier foods. For better protection choose the following seven specific foods that have been proven to combat cancers:

1. Cabbage-:

Cabbage is high in anticarcinogenic compounds known as glucosinolates. Fresh cabbage and when fermented as sauerkraut, also are good sources of the compound indole-3-carbinol that promotes elimination of carcinogens from human body.

A study of hundreds of Polish women in the US who ate four or more servings per week of raw, lightly cooked or fermented cabbages during adolescence were 72% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who had eaten only 1.5- serving per week. High consumption of cabbage during adulthood also had significant protection against breast cancer even when little cabbage was eaten at a young age. One recent study found that men who consumed at least three servings per week of broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables were 41% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who ate less than one serving per week.

Recommended: Three or more of 0.5- cup servings per week of cooked or raw cabbage.

Alternatives: Any vegetable of Crucifereae family such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale.

2. Flaxseeds-:

Flaxseeds contain ligans, compounds that behave like weak form of estrogen. One study showed that women with high levels of enterolactone which is linked to a high intake of ligans had a 58% lower risk for breast cancer. Flaxseeds also are good source of omega-3-fatty acids that appear to inhibit colon cancer in both men and women.

Recommended: One to two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per day. Sprinkle on cereals, yogurt, or soups.

Alternatives: Two to three servings per week of cold-water fish such as mackerel or salmon that will provide cancer fighting amounts of omega-3-fatty acids. For more ligans eat walnuts and use canola oil for cooking.

3. Mushrooms-:

The white-button mushrooms found in supermarkets contain anticancer compounds. Researchers compared vegetable extracts in the laboratory found that an extract from white-button mushrooms was the most effective in blocking aromatase, an enzyme that promotes breast cancer. White-button mushrooms also seem to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Recommended: Three to four servings of 0.5-cup of mushrooms per week.

Alternatives: Wild mushrooms with a nuttier taste such as porcinis or chanterelles.

4. Olives-:

A laboratory study in Spain found two compounds: maslinic and oleanolic acids in olives that suppress the growth of cancer cells and promote the death of these cells(apoptosis). Other studies indicate that people who eat olives as part of the Mediterranean diet have lower rates of a variety of cancers including colon cancer.

Recommended: Eight green or black olives per day.

Alternatives: One to two tablespoons per day of extra virgin olive oil. Spray on salads or vegetables to enhance absorption of the healthy nutrients.

5. Onions-:

Scientists compared the ten vegetables most often consumed in the US and onions ranked with the third-highest level of phenolic compounds which are considered among the most potent anticancer substances found in foods.

A study in Finland found that men who frequently ate onions, apples and other foods with high content of quercetin (a phenolic compound) were 60% less likely to develop lung cancer than men who ate smaller quantities of such healthy foods. Quercetin also appears to lower the risk for colon and liver cancers.

Recommended: Three servings of .50-cup onions per week cooked or raw. Red and yellow onions contain the most cancer preventing compounds.

Alternatives: Apples, capers, and green and black tea all of which are high in quercetin content. Garlic and onions belong to the same family Liliaceae that provide many of the same cancer fighting substances.

6. Pumpkin-:

Pumpkin and all winter squash are very high in carotenoids including beta-carotene. A long term study in Japan of more than 57000 participants found that people who ate the most pumpkin had lower rates of breast, colorectal, gastric and lung cancers. There is also some evidence that pumpkin seeds can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Recommended: Three or more of 0.50 -cup servings per week of baked pumpkin like any winter squash.

Alternatives: Carrots, broccoli, and all winter squashes including acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash.

7. Raspberry-:

  All the foods with their names ending in – erry such as blueberry, cherry, cranberry, and strawberry contain anti-inflammatory substances that reduce cell damage.  Such cell damage could lead to cancer.  Raspberries are higher in fiber than most berries and are excellent source of both ellagic acid and selenium Se that protect humans against a variety of cancers.  Recent studies found that raspberry and its extract inhibits both liver and oral cancer cells.  The responses in these studies were dose-dependent.  The more raspberry extract consumed by the participants the greater was the effect.

Recommended: Two or three 1.5-cup servings per week of raspberries.

Alternatives: Cherries and cherry juice contain just about as much ellagic acid as raspberries. Frozen berries and cherries, which contain less water, provide higher concentrations of protective compounds than fresh berries.

Date: 22/07/2011-Kurdistan

مشاكل الانتاج الحيواني هل تحل بالاستيراد ؟

المجلة الزراعية  Issue 602 , 

أكد الدكتور طالب مراد علي المستشار السابق للانتاج والصحة الحيوانية بالاقليم (الشرق الاوسط وشمال افريقيا) بمنظمة الاغذية والزراعة التابعة للامم المتحدة "فاو" أنه يستطيع التحليل بشكل دقيق نظراً لاستمرار عمله في هذا المنصب لحوالي 16 عاماً.. مشيراً إلي أن الثروة الحيوانية في الاقليم تمر بفترة صعبة جداً حيث أن عددها يتناقص بشكل متزايد وذلك يرجع للعديد من الاسباب ومن بينها الجفاف المتواصل وقلة المراعي والزيادة السكانية الرهيبة فضلاً عن المناسبات الدينية والمآتم والامراض العابرة للحدود.

وأضاف أنه كمعايش للاوضاع في مصر لفترة طويلة لا يري أي مجال للتوسع الأفقي ليس في مصر وحدها بل في أكثر الدول العربية (زيادة اعداد رؤوس الماشية) وإنما هناك مجالات عدة للتوسع الرأسي سواء بتحسين السلالات او تحسين الانتاجية من خلال استخدام الاعلاف التي تسهم في ذلك.. وهذا كحل نستطيع من خلاله التغلب بشكل جزئي علي نقص البروتين الحيواني الذي يحتاجه الجسم بنسبة تقدر بنحو الثلث في كمية البروتين المتناول يومياً.

وبسبب هذا النقص المستمر لجأت مصر إلي الاستيراد من دول كثيرة وهذه ليست مشكلة مصر وحدها بل مشكلة كافة دول الاقليم.. ولكن شدد د. طالب علي .. عليه أنه "في كل حركة بركة إلا حركة الحيوان" الذي تنتقل معه الأمراض فقد انتشرت في الاقليم العديد من الامراض العابرة للحدود بسبب عملية الاستيراد من الدول التي يكون بها بعض الامراض.. فقد أكد في السابق ومازال يؤكد ان سيخ الكباب قد يحتوي علي قطع من اللحوم من كذا دولة وأحياناً من كذا قارة.

ففي السابق كانت عدد الدول المصدرة للانتاج الحيواني كثيرة، في حين الآن نجد قلة التي نستطيع الاستيراد منها بسبب تناقص عددها تدريجيا بسبب تواجد الامراض بها فقد اطلع علي البيان الذي ألقاه السيد أمين أباظة وزير الزراعة واستصلاح الاراضي بمجلس الشعب ونقلاً عن جريدة الجمهورية في شهر مايو الماضي حيث ذكر أن المصريين استوردوا لحوماً من ايرلندا وعندما ظهرت بها بعض الاصابات بجنون البقر ثم لأجأنا إلي فرنسا ولم تكن أسعد حالاً فذهبنا إلي الارجنتين فوجدناها لا تذبح طبقاً للشريعة الاسلامية ثم قلنا نستورد من الهند ووجدناهم لا يذبحون الابقار فاللحوم القادمة منها ربما تكون لحيوانات أخري ثم استقر الرأي علي البرازيل وعندما أطمأنوا إنهم المصدر الوحيد قامت بزيادة الاسعار بنحو 80%..ولقد اشارت التقارير إلي أنه تم استيراد نحو 300 ألف طن من اللحوم الحمراء عام 2007 ونحو 50 ألف طن من لبن البودرة.. كما أن هناك اكتفاء ذاتياً من الدواجن والبيض.وهنا أوضح د. طالب علي أن هذه المعلومة تكاد تكون ناقصة حيث أن الاعلاف المستخدمة في تربية الدواجن تأتي من وراء البحار ولقد شعرنا في الفترة القليلة الماضية بزيادة اسعار الاعلاف وبصفة خاصة الحبوب التي يشترك في تناولها الانسان والدواجن سواء القمح، الشعير، والذرة.. فقد زاد سعر الذرة بنسبة 70% خلال آخر شهرين في عام (2007) ومازال الارتفاع مستمراً علي قدم وساق.. وهذه المشكلة تظهر بصورة واضحة في مصر بالتحديد دون باقي دول الاقليم بسبب الزيادة السكانية فالزراعة والتربة قائمة علي شريط أخضر رفيع وتعتبر مصر قرية طويلة خضراء.

ولهذه الاسباب اقترح ضرورة إعادة الثقة للتربية المنزلية للدواجن والارانب والخراف باعتبارها العمود الفقري لانتاج البروتين الحيواني.. خاصة بعد ما حدث نتيجة تأثير انفلونزا الطيور علي التربية المنزلية.. كما يجب علي الدولة التركيز علي إنتاج العلف إما بالاهتمام بزراعة المحاصيل المستخدمة كعلف أو التفكير في اعلاف بديلة.. هذا بالاضافة إلي انشاء جمعيات تمنح الاسر الريفية التي تقترب من سبعة ملايين أسرة الابقار والجاموس بأسعار مدعمة فضلاً عن تقديم الحوافز للمربين في صورة أعلاف مثلاً.. لكي يكون الاعتماد الاول والاخير علي الانتاج المحلي. كما اقترح انشاء لجنة عليا للانتاج الحيواني يرأسها وزير الزراعة مباشرة علي أن تكون لها صلاحيات عالية.

وشدد د. طالب علي .. علي أن السودان بلد مهم للاستيراد.. كما أنه يري تكاملاً في الخدمات البيطرية بين مصر والسودان بها 110 ملايين وحدة حيوان مجتر ومن بينها الابقار والاغنام.. ولهذا يجب الاهتمام بهذا الوضع.. كما طالب بضرورة انشاء لجنة مشتركة بين البلدين تجتمع دورياً وتكون فعالة ولها مكتب في البلدين ويعطوا التصريحات حول عمليات التصدير والاستيراد.. بشرط أن يكون لها دور فعال في هذا المجال.. وان تتوافر الشفافية الكاملة في المعاملات. والسبب في اختيار السودان لكونها بلداً كبيراً ولا يوجد بها جاموسة واحدة بينما يوجد في مصر اكثر من 3  مليون جاموسة.. ولهذا يجب اقامة مشروعات في هذا المجال بالسودان.. وهذا ليس باقتراح جديد بل حدث تعاون مشترك منذ عهد الخديو حيث تم ارسال نحو خمسين جاموسة كهدية للمهدي.. وهذا الموضوع بالتحديد يجب الانتباه له.. فالسودان تستطيع استيعاب ملايين الرؤوس من الجاموس.. فالجاموس هو البديل للتربية لسكان وادي النيل

وعن الاستيراد من امريكا الجنوبية قال:إن هذه القارة انتاجها من اللحوم كثير.. لكن لا ننسي ماحدث للجماهيرية الليبية عندما استوردت اللحوم من امريكا الجنوبية وحدثت لها بعض الاصابات بمرض الدودة الحلزونية للعالم الحديث وهي ما تختلف عن ذبابة الدودة الحلزونية للعالم القديم.. حيث صرف 70 مليون دولار وجهود كثيرة للقضاء علي هذه الذبابة المستوردة.

وبالنسبة للمحاجر الصحية أكد أن قوانين الحجر الصحي تتغير حسب الطلب علي اللحوم وهذا خطأ كبير.. فلابد أن تكون تلك القوانين ثابتة خاصة في دول العالم الثالث.. واخيرا.. ليست فكرة الاكتفاء الذاتي واردة ولكن لابد من ايجاد بعض الحلول التي تساعد علي تقليل الاستيراد ربما تكون واردة.

Talib.Murad@yahoo.com

THE ROLE OF SOIL TESTING FOR FERTILIZER RECOMMONDATION

It is hard to imagine what the world would look like without the yield increases we have witnessed over the last seven five years. A 50- or 60-year period where yields were flat seems unthinkable, yet this was the case in the latter half of the 19 century into the early 20 century. That is before agronomy organized itself as a scientific discipline and soil testing methods were developed and practiced.

Consequently crop yields increased in industrialised countries in late 1930s and early 1940s due to improved plant nutrition through fertilizer applications, plant breeding for high yielding disease- resistant varieties, and when such efforts were combined with other management practices.

The concept of pH was first introduced in1909 and 20 years later pH meters and glass electrodes became available. That progress provided soil scientists with the single-simple and most informative measurement of a soil property which is pH. Another 20 years passed before flame photometers became available in USA.

Soil testing addressed some important issues facing agronomists such as soil acidity and phosphorus and potassium concentrations in soils. The availability of soil testing as a tool was chosen to make a real difference in many places. Soil test kits were “simple to do” as the starting point toward that effort. The soil test kits used very simple chemistry that still exists today. In the 1920s and 1930s, Truog and others, such as Michael Peech from Cornell University , Roger Bray from the University of Illinois, C.H.Spurway from the Michigan State University, and M.F. Morgan from the University of Connecticut, developed field tests kit procedures to measure soil pH, phosphorus, and potassium.

Most of the soil kits used either some types of pH indicator dye, the Troug test, or thiocyanate test to measure pH or acidity. Phosphorus was measured using dilute acids and potassium was measured by coboltinitrate precipitation.

The use of rapid, microchemical soil tests or “quick soil tests” in the measurement of readily soluble plant nutrients in soils for estimating fertilizer needs and for diagnosing crop failure became a common practice in many USA states after 1940.

Moreover, significant advances were made since 1940 in terms of analytical instruments and the correlation between fertilizer recommendations based on soil tests and crop yields. By 1960 soil testing programs was wide- spread all over the USA states.

Our current knowledge about essential macro and micronutrients of higher plants and the methods of their assessments has expanded remarkably. And with the development of atomic absorption/emissions detection of very low levels of micronutrients as well as toxic levels of heavy metals in soils have been achieved.

It is very important to review the methods used in USA in training county agents and farmers by state, federal and private sectors in using soil tests for fertilizer recommendations that markedly increased productivity of soils during the last 75 years and actually led to surpluses of agricultural products.

There was a Soil Laboratory in Abu-Graib, Baghdad before 1960 but I do not think its mission was soil testing for fertilizer recommendations. It was geared to provide data for soil survey and special Government Projects of land reclamation. However, In Iraq we are still very far behind in using soil tests as a means to provide optimum levels of plant nutrients for increased crop production. On the other hand application of fertilizers to soils without soil tests and plant analysis is not likely to give optimum crop yields and may even have deleterious effects on the crops and on the quality of the environment.

Therefore, there is a great need for initiating a soil testing program in Kurdistan Region as well as in other major regions of the Federal Republic of Iraq. Currently Iraq heavily relies on imports of food for its population because hard currency is available now from oil revenues that accounts for 90% of its gross domestic product (GDP). However, fossil fuel is not a renewable resource but is subject to depletion unlike renewable resources such as soils, plant products and to a great extent solar energy.

Thus, sooner or later Iraq has to make large investments in agriculture to secure adequate food supply for its growing population from its plant and animal products. That means current policy makers of Iraq cannot ignore the eventual need for a strategy of self-sufficiency in agricultural products and should start now rather than later. The task is big but the 100-mile journey begins with the first step forward. To this end we can provide consultancy with other experts of various fields of agriculture to embark on a long term mission equipped with 21 century technology to face realistically the challenge of self-sufficiency in agricultural products in Iraq.

By Mohammed Sa’id Berigari, PhD, Senior Soil and Environmental Scientist-USA. Date: 12/07/2011

SMALL DAMS TO HARNESS WATER: By Mohammed Sa'id Berigari,

Dear Dr. Talib:

I was pleased to read your footage about major emphasis by top political- decision makers of current Iraqi Government from Mam Jalal Talabani to Mr Nori Al-Maliki and Mr.Massoud Barzani. It is time to implement talks with genuine deeds. Moreover, I was impressed by the work performed by KRG in constructing small dams to harness the water from rain, snow,and springs for agriculture purpose and as a means to increase the area of surface water that can increase relative humidity of the atmosphere thus improve conditions to combat drought. That is very important indeed and equally important is to carry out a major campaign of reforestation in Kurdistan as another major factor in increasing the moisture in the atmosphere and reducing soil erosion. I did a pilot project in Dohuk from 1954-1956 when I was Muraqib Ghabat of Duhok. I supervised planting pine and spruce trees in Gully Duhok for the first time. As I remember the charcoal industry was wide spread in Kurdistan Region beginning from 1940 till 1960 and to some extent even now. That activity led to marked reduction in the area covered by green forests and instead of large trees we now see scattered shrubs gown naturally in their places. Therefore, you need to convince the KRG to implement a comprehensive program of growing trees to restore the conditions under which there was more snow and rainfall prior to 1940.

As far as the rest of Iraq where the land is flat and agriculture is primarily dependent on irrigation the major problem facing this area is soil salinity which is considered number 1 problem facing agriculture there. Modern technology can tackle that problem through large scale soil desalinization projects wherever soil salinity occurs primarily by man made drainage projects. In order to delineate soils according to their potential productivity and management concerted efforts should be made to carry out soil taxonomy which includes at least semi- detailed soil survey and classification.

There were and I think still are Agricultural Experimental Stations in several areas of Iraq but as far as I remember there were no Soil Testing Services provided to the farmers for a nominal fee. And in order to increase crop production through sound fertilizer recommendations for various crops it is necessary to establish such programs all over Iraq.

I know the task lies on shoulders of many experts in every field of agriculture but the social, economical, and political conditions are speaking loudly for serious changes to carry out a green revolution for food security and political stability and the rewards are endless.
Best regards,

Mohammed Sa'id Berigari, Ph.D.
Senior Soil and Environmental Scientist-USA
03/26/2011

FOOD SECURITY IN THE ARAB WORLD: Eventually “OPECS” for Meat & Grain

Talib Murad Comments  Published by Landgrab with regard to the aticle bellow which apeared in Jordan Times on 2.2.2011
http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/18099
Self-sufficiency should no longer be regarded as an achievable goal. On January 27th I addressed the Second Conference for Agriculture in Kurdistan, held in Erbil, on behalf of His Excellency, the Prime Minister under whose auspices the conference was held. The conference was attended by the Ministers of Agriculture for both Iraq and Kurdistan together with some three hundred specialists in agriculture and related disciplines. The subject of the conference was,”Towards achieving self-sufficiency in agricultural products in Kurdistan.” I had to tell those present that this is impossible to achieve, the concept of attaining self-sufficiency has its roots in the socialist ideals from the days of the Cold War.

Now this article refers to achieving food security, a wish that cannot be fulfilled in the Arab World. The $50 billion bill quoted by the Jordanian Minister for Trade and Industry as the cost of food imports to the Arab countries is, in my humble opinion, too low. During one of the sessions at the conference in Erbil, when the Ministers for Agriculture, their deputies and economists were present a provisional estimate of $30 billion was quoted for Iraq alone, so I wonder what are the true costs in the other Arab countries?

In addition the article contains the statement ‘there is a massive area of agricultural land and water resources in some countries that suffer financial restraints.’ I do not think that this is correct when the current demand for water is straining the resources of the rivers Nile, Tigris and Euphrates and land usage has been changed over time. Last October the UN advised all the Third World countries, including the Arab speaking states, to increase the allocation to agriculture from their annual budget from 5% to 10 %. At that time not one of the Arab countries were allocating even 5% to agriculture let alone increase to 10%. It is essential that the Arab countries recognise three points, namely:

1. There is no scope for horizontal development in agriculture because of limited availability of both land and water.

2. The majority of their decision makers never think that food security is important to national security.(This has been demonstrated lately in many Arabic countries, food prices ignites most of the recent problems of the region)

3. There is a lot of foreign currency available to them now allows them to import food but they must appreciate that the time will come when they may have available currency but there will be no food available for them to buy. Over the years I have been warning that, throughout the world, food costs will increase drastically while the availability of food on the food market will decrease. Each year there is a reduction in the numbers of countries exporting meat and grain and a reduction in the available amounts of food on the world’s market. The grain and meat exporting countries will consider their position and I have no doubt that within our lifetime we will see the formation of organisations, similar to OPEC, for grain and meat exporter countries. In addition the Arab countries may see the flow of ‘petro-dollars’ reverse as the dollars go to the food exporting nations and their agreements to use land elsewhere, land grabbing, may be overturned by the host countries.

Posted on 03 Feb 2011
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Published by Jordan Times. 2nd,Feb.2011

DEAD SEA –– Arab officials and experts on Tuesday voiced concern over rising food prices in global markets and stressed the need to achieve food security and reduce Arab countries’ reliance on importing basic commodities.

Outgoing Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi remarked that annual food imports of the Arab world are around $50 billion, calling for Arab countries should adopt economic and agricultural policies to develop the agricultural sector in the region.

Hadidi, who resigned yesterday along with the rest of the government, stressed that Arab countries should work to attract investments in food industries, indicating that investments in the food manufacturing sector in Jordan, which employs around 35,000 people, reached over $2 billion, while local food exports were around $1 billion in 2010.

Hadidi made the remarks at the first Arab Food Industries and Franchising Forum, which was held at the Dead Sea yesterday and was attended by Kuwaiti Minister for Commerce and Industry Ahmed Rashed Al Haroun and Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Ben Ahmad Zainal along with other officials and private sector representatives from several countries.

During a panel discussion, Khalil Abu Afifa, director of the Arab Councils and Organisations Affairs at the Arab League, highlighted that indicators show that the supply of basic food items in the Arab world is expected to fall short of the expected increasing demand, which will worsen the situation in Arab countries.“Although the Arab world enjoys natural and human resources, countries did not invest in the agricultural sector which caused a gap in food supply and demand,” he said. Afifa blamed lack of funding to the agricultural sector for the low food production in the region, saying commercial banks adopt cautious lending policies to finance agricultural projects due to risk factors.

Haroun, the Kuwaiti official, said as rising food prices have become a global issue, Arab states should focus on achieving food security and self-reliance.

Stating that natural disasters in major food supplying countries such as Russia and Australia have affected countries around the world and prices of cereals and sugar are expected to go up even further, the official said. Arab countries, which import 90 per cent of their food needs, should find ways for reaching food security.

Haitham Jaffan, president of the Arab Federation of Food Industries, noted that the Arab market has become the favourite destination of global food manufacturers, saying many recommendations related to increasing food production have been referred to governments in Arab states but nothing has been achieved.

Elias Assouad, CEO of Tecmo Group, a food company, called for establishing an organisation or a ministry in all Arab countries to be in charge of securing food for all the people of the region, stressing the decisions of such an entity should be obligatory to all states.“It is about time to take tangible and important decisions and not to only discuss and talk,” he said.

There are massive areas of agricultural lands and huge water resources in some countries that suffer financial constraints, while there are some rich Arab states that have the money but not the land or the water, he said, adding that there are also other countries that have the skilled labour.“If we all work together we can produce food products with a cost of less than 10 per cent than that of the items we import,” he emphasised.

At the two-day forum experts and officials will discuss issues related to the future of food industry and franchise opportunities, investment, economic challenges facing the Arab world, and the role of scientific research among others