Dubas beetles are George Bush’s fault. He ordered Karl Rove to infect the trees deliberately.
This just in.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080525-11
May 25, 2008
Date palm trees sprayed (Sayafiyah and Arab Jabour)
By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., PAO
Multi-National Division – Center PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – On May 22, an aggressive aerial campaign in Sayafiyah and Arab Jabour targeted pests, which had caused countless damage to palm trees over the past year.
“Left unchecked, the dubas beetle, which bores into the tree and kills it, can seriously disrupt the production of dates in the area,” said Mike Stevens, a Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team agriculture adviser.
“Behind oil, dates were once the main export of Iraq,” said Stevens, a native of Alexandria, Minn.
Because of dates’ importance to the economy, pesticides were distributed by two helicopters over orchards in al-Buyatha and Arab Jabour, in southeast Baghdad Province. With the hatching season for the dubas beetles occurring between May and June, Stevens said it was important to conduct the spraying now.
“Otherwise it proliferates the propagation of the beetles. If you don’t spray (one) year, the next year will be 10 to 100 times worse,” he said.
The spraying had no Coalition force involvement. Unlike many previous projects in the area, this one was conducted solely by the Ministry of Agriculture,using their helicopter fleet.
“Currently, the MoA has flown 292 spraying missions, spraying approximately 233,100 donums,” said Navy Cmdr. Brian Lasher, Multi-National Forces - Iraq Strategic Effects officer.
A donum is about three-fifths of an acre.
Spraying, which will also cover the Baquba, Muqdaduyah and Tarmiya areas, should be completed by May 30.
The entire campaign represents a significant step for local farmers and shows the population that the GoI is taking action to bring support to the area.