Arable land area to expand by winter

MUTHANNA / IraqiNews.com: The area of arable land in Muthanna province will increase by nearly 15,000 donums by the beginning of the winter season, the head of the agricultural department in the province said on Tuesday. During an interview with IraqiNews.com, Hussein Mahdi Ali revealed a plan by his department to cultivate around 217,000 donums (1 donum= 2,500 square meters) of land with wheat and barley. Muthanna, 280 km south of Baghdad, is bordering Saudi Arabia. Its capital is Samawa. It was the first Iraqi province where security responsibilities were transferred from the Multi-National Force (MNF) to the Iraqis. On July 13, 2006 British, Australian, and Japanese forces handed over security responsibility for Muthanna province to Iraqi forces. Prior to 1976 it was part of the al-Diwaniya province. It also includes the ancient Sumerian ruin of Uruk, which is possibly the source of the name Iraq. SS (P) 1