The figures on irrigated crops are very incomplete and do not allow the establishment of statistical tables by country showing the distribution of the major crops under irrigation in the Near East. However, by using all the data available, information can be obtained for about 35.8 million hectares. The results are summarized in Table 10, in which the different crops have been grouped into seven major categories. It is the most important irrigated crop in Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. Irrigated cereals are present in each country, except in Bahrain and Malta.
Vegetables are present in all regions and almost every single country.
In absolute and relative terms, cotton is an important irrigated crop in Central Asia, covering over 3.8 million hectares. It is also a relatively important crop in Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Turkey. Sugar cane is mainly found in North-eastern Africa, Morocco and Iran. Salinization, drainage and environment Arid areas are sensitive to salinization problems because the volume of rainwater dissolving the salts generated by the soil is low. By extracting water from the soil, evaporation and evapotranspiration tend to increase salt concentrations.