Latakia-SANA
The General Authority for Fisheries and Aquaculture has distributed more than 169,000 fingerlings carp free of charge this year to 1,218 family farms as part of its plan to develop the fisheries sector, spread the culture of fish breeding and expand this project to include all governorates.
In a statement to SANA’s reporter in Latakia, Dr. Abdul Latif Ali, the director general of the commission, said that the commission continued to work on the project for the fourth year in a row, during which 169,250 fingerlings of common carp were distributed free of charge to 1,218 family farms in the governorates of Hama, Homs, Tartous, Latakia, Damascus countryside, Quneitra, Daraa and Aleppo Noting that the number distributed varies according to the area of family farms, which is usually less than 250 square meters, and at a rate of 2 fingers per square meter.
The Director General of the Commission stated that 33,000 fingerlings were distributed in Hama governorate to 251 family farms, 30,000 fingerlings were distributed to 217 farms in Homs, 23,250 fingerlings to 225 farms in Tartous, 27500 fingerlings to 145 farms in Lattakia, and 21,500 fingerlings were distributed to 100 farms in Damascus countryside. In Quneitra, 11,000 fingerlings on 100 farms, in Daraa, 12,000 fingerlings on 120 farms, and in Aleppo, 11 thousand fingerlings were distributed on 60 farms.
He pointed out that before starting the project in any governorate, the Central Technical Committee in the authority and the sub-committee in the targeted governorate, in cooperation with technicians from the Directorate of Agriculture, conduct a preliminary sensory inspection of the watering basins of citizens in the target area in the project to ensure the availability of a clean water source, the size of the basin and its compliance with the conditions Then, farmers who own watering ponds that conform to the specifications are selected, and free improved fingerlings are provided to them by the authority, and cultured in those ponds by the authority’s technicians.
Ali pointed out that the follow-up is carried out by the authority in coordination with the centers and its branches in the governorates, each according to its sector, and the implementation of periodic field tours to inspect these farms, follow up the growth of fish, and ensure the quality of food provided to them by relying on the leftovers of the house as feed for fish, while noting the extent of the positive interaction of farmers with this idea. By meeting with them to provide them with technical support, overcome the difficulties they face, and guide them to ways and methods of education.
The Director General of the authority indicated that the goal of the project is to support small projects, supply the local market with fish production, spread the culture of fish farming among citizens, secure healthy food for rural families with additional material income, and contribute to increasing the per capita share of important and necessary fish meat, in addition to the dual use of the aquarium water in Producing fish protein and watering crops, knowing that fish waste is rich in ammonia and thus contributes to soil fertilization for crops and reduces production costs for the citizen.
Safa Ali
