Sayyid Al-Hakeem Emphasizes Prioritizing Farmers' Rights within Government Budgets, Equity with Employee Salaries
During his visit to Wasit Province, one of the key stops for Sayyid Ammar Al-Hakeem, Head of the National State Powers Alliance, was the headquarters of the Farmers' Associations. There, His Eminence met with a group of farmers from the province, praising Wasit’s contributions to Iraq.
H.E. highlighted the importance of the agricultural sector and its vital role in the country, describing the farmers as the embodiment of Iraq’s agricultural identity, historically known as "the land of black soil." H.E. emphasized that food security is the most critical form of security that nations strive to achieve, noting that an agriculturally secure country is also secure from fluctuations and challenges. H.E. suggested that Iraq has the potential to become the region's food basket.
H.E. called for the development of the agricultural sector, urging an increase in crop prices and faster disbursement of farmers' dues. H.E. pointed out that a key factor for the country’s progress is the presence of a prime minister with expertise in agriculture, along with bold measures that have led to Iraq’s self-sufficiency in grains.
H.E. also stressed the importance of utilizing groundwater in ways that benefit agriculture while preserving it for future generations, as well as adopting modern irrigation technologies to address the global water scarcity crisis.
H.E. advocated for a tripartite approach in dealing with neighboring Turkey, focused on water, security, and economics. Finally, he stressed that farmers’ entitlements should be treated as a government priority, comparable to the salaries of public employees, and allocated as such in the national budget.
