Idle Iraqi Date Farms Show Decline of Economy.

Late July and early August is date harvesting season in Iraq, when within the span of a few weeks the desert sun turns hard green spheres into tender, golden brown fruit prized for its sweetness. But here in Iraq, one of the places where agriculture was developed more than 7,000 years ago, there are increasing doubts about whether it makes much sense to grow dates -- or much of anything for that matter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]