The war in Iraq destroyed the country's seed industry, putting the country's domestic food supply at risk, the United Nations food agency said on Monday as it appealed for aid to rebuild farming. The Food and Agriculture Organisation said it needed $5.4 million to help the agriculture ministry rebuild a seed industry destroyed by the fighting and looting.
"Iraq had a relatively stable and functioning public-sector-controlled seed industry before the war in 2003. After the war, research and seed production facilities have greatly deteriorated," FAO said in a statement.
Iraq can now cover only 4 percent of its demand for quality seeds from its own resources.
"Iraq has currently no system in place that provides certified high-quality seeds of improved varieties. As a result, crop productivity remains very low because farmers are using their own, mostly low-quality, seed," FAO Iraq project manager Tekeste Tekie said. "If no immediate action is taken, serious seed shortages can be expected in the near future, threatening the country's food security."
The FAO project aims to replace buildings and equipment such as tractors and to develop a national seed policy and new seed laws.
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