Damascus-Sana
The Board of Directors of the Fund to mitigate the effects of drought and natural disasters during its regular meeting decided to compensate farmers affected by heat waves, cold, frost, heavy rains and flooding of lands in several governorates for a total amount of about 250 million pounds benefiting more than 6,000 farmers.
Compensation was distributed among the tobacco farmers as a result of the cold at the beginning of last June in Tal Kalakh area of Homs countryside. In the areas of Banias, Qadmous and Sheikh Badr Battartos, where the number of farmers 3170 farmers with an area of 4646 dunums for 109 million pounds.
Compensation also included onion, garlic and anise farmers in Tizin area of Hama governorate as a result of heavy rains and flooding of land in mid-January last year. Last June, the number of those affected reached 972 farmers with an area of 2279 dunums for 37.5 million pounds.
The council also agreed to compensate wheat farmers in Al-Khashniyah and Quneitra areas in Quneitra governorate as a result of drowning. The number of those affected was 671 farmers with an area of 10056 dunums for about 12 million liras. 1031 farmers with an area of 7005 dunums for 64 million pounds.
The compensation list included the area of al-Makhram al-Fawqani in Homs governorate as a result of the heat wave that took place at the end of last June, where the number of affected 28 farmers amounted to an area of 122.5 dunums. Last April, the number of affected two farmers, an area of 8 dunums and an amount of 73.5 thousand pounds.
In March, the cabinet approved the estimated budget and business plan of the Drought and Natural Disaster Mitigation Fund for 2019, which amounted to 6 billion pounds, which includes compensation for farmers affected in the seasons of vegetables and fruit trees and protected crops and those affected by livestock breeders.
Ghossoub Abboud