Damascus-Sana
Citrus production for the current season 2020-2021 recorded a decrease of 24.5 percent compared to the last season due to weather conditions according to those concerned, with production estimates reaching 832 thousand tons.
The governorates of Tartous and Lattakia recorded the largest share of citrus production for the current season, at about 819.9 thousand tons, while the rest of the governorates reached 12 thousand tons, bringing the total to nearly 832 thousand tons, according to the statistics of the Tartous and Lattakia departments of Agriculture.
Director of the Citrus Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Eng. Suhail Hamdan, stated in a statement to SANA that the production of sour lemons amounted to 100 724 tons of the total citrus production, 62 percent of them in Tartous, while the orange production amounted to 494,781 tons, 87 percent of which was in Lattakia, and the production of mandarin reached 182648 tons, 74 percent of which was in Tartous. Latakia.
According to Hamdan, the production of Indian lemons "grapefruit and pomelo" reached 41,752 tons, 57 percent of them in Tartous, and the fava orange variety was the highest production for the current season at 163 thousand tons, followed by the Abu Surra orange 146 thousand tons and the least productive colored grapefruit and white 10600 tons and 10800 tons, respectively.
Hamdan pointed out that, compared to the production of the previous season, there is a decrease in the production of citrus fruits for the 2020-2021 season by about 24.5 percent due to weather conditions, explaining that the total production of citrus varieties decreased by 32.8 percent and oranges by 29.3 percent, while the orange variety Abu Surra recorded a decrease in half, i.e. to half. About 146,310 tons, in addition to a decrease in the total production of mandarin varieties by 6.1 percent, and a stable production of grapefruit varieties.
Hamdan believes that until now the signs of the next season are good, calling on farmers to provide good fertilization, irrigation and pruning services because these operations are of great benefit to the quality and quantity of production, indicating that the farmer who provided the agricultural services required by the citrus tree, even at minimum levels, was distinguished by its production and obtained good prices. Compared to others, where the price of some items on the tree reached a thousand pounds, and the average for all varieties was more than 500 pounds, which means that the average income of one tree reached more than 50 thousand pounds.
Hamdan believed that returning a small part of this income to the tree in the form of fertilizers, irrigation water and other services would be a highly profitable investment that would yield results in the next season, which would benefit farmers and the national economy.
Bushra Barhoum