Coalition ready to support date palm spraying (Iraq Min. of Agriculture)

[Barrett808]

BAGHADAD, Iraq - The Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office, with the help of Multi-National Force-Iraq took all actions necessary to support the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture's program to conduct date palm spraying. All measures were in place in mid-April.

Although the spring date palm spraying has been cancelled, IRMO and MNF-I are prepared to support future date palm spraying campaigns.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT [phone] or email [e-mail].

Release #050517b

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/media-information/May/050517b.htm

[Dhalgren]

1. What is "date-palm spraying"?

Like, for insects or fungi? Is it like crop-dusting or "agent orange"?

[Barrett808]

4. I wondered the same thing -- any DUers out there know the story? n/t

[Hobarticus]

7. It sounds to me like they're trying to eliminate cover for insurgents

by killing off vegetation.

Same thing Agent Orange was used for in Vietnam, in Operation Ranch Hand.

This could be something else altogether, but that's my immediate reaction.

See below, sounds like it could be legit...like the whole invasion was. :puke:

[leftchick]

11. That is exactly the way I read it...

why else would they need to give the go ahead to the US Military?
Napalm in the morning, coming to Iraq soon. :cry:

[chlamor]

2. thanx n/t

[Hobarticus]

3. Operation Ranch Hand, Part Deux...

As if depleted uranium wouldn't kill our troops fast enough...

[Barrett808]

5. Riverbend has reported on the wholesale destruction of date palms

By US forces. Trees that have been in families for generations.

[getmeouttahere]

12. And will kill and deform Middle Easterners...

for years to come.

Yes, depleted uranium horrors will trump Agent Orange big time!

[chlamor]

6. A Bit More

Ministry of Agriculture Conducts Date Palm Spraying Program

Revitalizing Iraq’s date palm production is one of the goals of the Ministry of Agriculture. As part of this program, the Ministry recently conducted spraying of date palm trees using a Mi-2 helicopter from the former Saddam Hussein’s military.

The aircraft was completely rebuilt by Iraqi maintenance technicians and flown by Iraqi pilots. It marked the first time an Iraqi aircraft had flown in more than a year in Iraq.

The spraying program eliminates pests and greatly enhances the production of date palms. The spray also has another beneficial effect in that it helps eliminate mosquitoes. An estimated 12,000 hectares of date palms received the application.

http://www.iraqdirectory.com/files/articles/article040.htm

And This:

"Date palms are very important to Iraq," says Faraoun Ahmed, the manager of the date palm propagation and improvement project at the Agriculture Ministry. "We consider them the second most important commodity that we have, after oil." Dates have been bought, sold, traded and bartered in this region since ancient times. Stone tablets depict trees that were protected by law during the 18th century BC reign of Babylon's King Hammurabi.

<snip>

The U.S. did initially have a plan to use military helicopters to spray crops in April - hoping it would be a good public relations exercise for their mission here. But a study concluded that given the strength of the insecticides to be used and the pilots' lack of crop-spraying experience, the damage the spraying would do to the citrus groves sheltering in the shade of the palms would outweigh the benefits to the palms themselves. The project was abandoned.

http://www.thepioneer.com/agriculture/aug9_oilovershadows.htm

[rodeodance]

8. but the dates did NOT get sprayed -even with the help of the US coalition

--yup--lots of progress.

[rodeodance]

9. misleading headline as this project was on paper ONLY.

Ministry of Agriculture Conducts Date Palm Spraying Program

[Massachusetts]

10. Why not go the extra yard and

introduce them to Integrated Pest management (IPM), CHEAPER and NON POLLUTING.

[BrotherBuzz]

13. What? and cut the petrochemical industry out of the deal?

:sarcasm: