Damascus-Sana
The first session of the Agricultural Sector Development Forum "Challenges and Opportunities" discussed the current reality of the agricultural sector, future visions, the role of peasant associations in developing agricultural production, and the role of trade unions, professional unions and international organizations in developing this sector.
The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatana, indicated during the session the timetable for developing and increasing agricultural production and developing wholesale markets and agricultural industries, pointing out that the most important outcomes of the forum are to reach a strategy for organizing and developing agricultural production and cooperative investment.
Qatana pointed to the comparative advantage of the agricultural sector in Syria due to its strategic and diversified location in agricultural and climatic environments and its richness in natural resources, indicating that investing these advantages and applying agricultural scientific research programs constitutes an economic and developmental support for the Syrian economy, explaining the determining factors for agricultural production and the distribution of agricultural lands in Syria, which amount to 18.5 million hectares.
President of the General Peasants' Union Ahmed Saleh Ibrahim spoke about the emergence and development of the cooperative movement in Syria and the role of agricultural societies in developing agricultural production, indicating that in order to develop the sector it is necessary to create general programs in agriculture for strategic sectors or sectoral programs in agriculture with the need to follow up the development of programs and the same Time to determine who is defaulting and the reason for default and hold him accountable.
The President of the Federation of Agricultural Chambers, Muhammad Kashto, spoke about the tasks of the Federation and the Chambers of Agriculture in supporting micro-projects and supporting small farmers in order to secure a source of income for families affected by terrorism and to establish a large number of programs to build the capacity of farmers and agricultural technicians.
The head of the Agricultural Engineers Syndicate, Dr. Rama Aziz, referred to organizing the profession of agricultural engineering and providing continuous support to take care of the interests of union members, defend their rights, and improve their professional and financial conditions through the health and social security fund and the savings and credit fund, pointing to the problems and obstacles affecting the growth of agricultural production.
The head of the Veterinarians Syndicate, Dr. Iyad Sweidan, talked about the profession of veterinary medicine in Syria and the role of the union in supporting the veterinary health sector and strengthening its role to ensure the achievement of veterinary health services for livestock.
Dr. Thuraya Al-Idlabi from the Planning and International Cooperation Authority, in turn, referred to the role of international organizations in supporting and developing the agricultural sector, and the changes that occurred in the frameworks governing the work of the United Nations organizations and their areas of focus in Syria and identifying international organizations supporting the agricultural sector in Syria and the reality of their work. Cooperating with these organizations, including the strategic framework and the humanitarian response plan.
Earlier today, the activities of the Agricultural Sector Development Forum "Challenges and Opportunities" were launched under the slogan ... Towards a competitive, developmental agricultural economy ... On the sidelines of the forum, an exhibition of agricultural machinery, modern and developed equipment and renewable energy equipment will be held.