Al-Badran also believes that the complex bureaucracy not only discourages foreign investment in the area, but also locals’ efforts. “More than 30 specialists graduate every year from the fisheries department of the agricultural college,” he points out. “However to start a fish farm in Basra, one needs years to get the right approvals.”
In fact, al-Badran says there are many examples where centralized planning of agriculture in Basra has not had the desired results, mainly because experts – local farmers and agricultural associations – were not consulted.
Among these were two US-funded projects in 2007. One project had 140,000 palm seedlings distributed to farmers free of charge and the other promoted the planting of henna trees. However both projects eventually failed because of where they were located and because of the increasing saline levels in the water in Basra.
“The private sector should be involved in these big projects and manage them, albeit under state supervision,” al-Badran notes.
Meanwhile the local government’s agricultural adviser Disher argues that the only way forward is to look at each individual problem and find a suitable, contemporary solution. “We must save our agricultural land – these areas are becoming limited - and use modern irrigation techniques and greenhouses,” he concludes.
(Source: NIQASH)
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