PHOTOS: Halabja’s 'exceptional farmer' launches agricultural festival

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Azad Mohammed, a locally famous farmer and personality, launched an agricultural festival on Thursday that is held annually in the Kurdistan Region’s smallest province of Halabja.

This will be the sixth year in a row he has done so, with the previous festivals attracting enthusiasts of locally-grown products, especially pomegranates.

Those attending saw many crops and agricultural products displayed as part of a plan that aims primarily to showcase everything local, whether fruits and vegetables or handicrafts created by Halabja residents.

“For the past six to seven months, I have is brought diverse and various exceptional seeds from Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands introduce them to Kurdistan Region,” Mohammed told Kurdistan 24 in an interview.

Mohammed built a wide, temperate storage area on his farm where agricultural products are shown throughout the summer using a homemade cooling system that, as he said, does not need “electricity or any sort of power.” 

His nickname comes from his knack for successfully cultivating the seeds he brings from abroad to grow in the local soil and environment.

Editing by John J. Catherine