Dr. Sawsan Ali Majid, the Iraqi agriculture minister, announced a work plan to implement a national program to prepare maps for assessing environmental and agricultural needs in all provinces.

The minister revealed, according to <i>Alfourat</i> newspaper, that the main objective of the program is to locate production areas for strategic crops, and determine the area for agricultural investments, provide needed support for local projects such as equipment, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

The minister indicated that databases were already prepared concerning the lands. These databases, she conveyed, would be analyzed to best serve the objectives of the program, so the land can be used in an ideal way.

© 2005 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)