GHAMMAS, Iraq - Farmers from the southern Iraqi provinces of Najaf, Diwaniyah, Muthanna, and Karbala blocked a main road on Saturday using tractors and harvesters to protest delays in receiving financial compensation. 

The farmers shut down the Ghammas junction and began an open-ended sit-in, demanding immediate action from the government.

They say they have waited for years to receive compensation for damages to their crops. Many of them were banned from planting rice in 2023 and want the same financial support they received in 2022. Others are calling for payments for wheat crops that were destroyed by hail in Najaf, as well as for flood damage in Diwaniyah and Muthanna.

“This is the fourth protest in one month, and now we are starting an open sit-in,” said Hamed Nawaf, one of the farmers. “We are here with our children and we will not leave until our demands are met.”

Nawaf spoke to The New Region, saying the farmers are also angry about the government’s agricultural policies. 

He said the government ordered farmers to use modern irrigation systems and offered different prices for wheat, 850,000 Iraqi dinars per ton for some, and only 450,000 for others. 

“This is unfair,” he added.

Many of the farmers say they are in debt and are struggling to pay for seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. 

“I buy everything on credit and the traders are asking for their money. The price of a ton of wheat is only 400,000 dinars. Where can I find the money to pay them? I’m staying here. I won’t go home,” one farmer said.

Riyadh al-Kaabi, a farmer from Diwaniyah, said the government has blocked them from farming but has not offered an alternative. 

“The water goes straight to the marshes and the dams, and we are not allowed to use it,” he said. “It goes to the sea and we get nothing.”

The farmers say they have received all the necessary approvals for compensation, but Finance Minister Taif Sami has not released the funds. 

“She says there is no money,” one farmer said, “but at the same time, she approved 900 billion dinars to fund the elections.”

The protesters have called on Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to take action. They said their demonstration is peaceful and meant to make their voices heard after years of neglect. They warned they would take further action if their demands are not met soon.