Damascus-SANA
Today, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform reviewed with the Ministries of Economy, Foreign Trade and Industry, the Agricultural Bank and those concerned in the ministry, the fertilizer needs of agriculture for the next season.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Hassan Qatana, explained that the meeting included determining the needs of nitrogenous, phosphate and potash fertilizers for strategic crops and fruitful trees to secure the largest possible quantities of them, whether through local production or import, especially the needs of the wheat crop, amounting to 100,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizer before the start of the implementation of the agricultural plan for the season. The next, pointing to the importance of adjusting the fertilizer equation according to the areas of stability after analyzing the soil and not staying on the unified equation for all of Syria.
Minister Qatana pointed to the possibility of endemic cultivation of wheat and barley crops under fruit trees, especially olives, in the governorates of Lattakia and Tartous, with the aim of increasing the area planted with these two crops and including them in the schedule of need to give them fertilizer in a way that achieves the benefit of the crop and fruitful trees.
Qatana pointed out that the process of securing fertilizers in the previous season faced difficulties such as the economic blockade imposed on Syria, securing parts for imports, the sharp discrepancy in prices from time to time, and the lack of bids announced by the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade.
Qatna indicated that the government made great efforts to operate the fertilizer plant and secure it for the wheat crop, as it provided the full need for nitrogenous fertilizers according to the new fertilizer formula determined by agricultural research, as well as the need for sugar beet and 50 percent of the needs of citrus and apples.
The Director of the Agricultural Bank, Ibrahim Zeidan, explained that the next season needs 300,000 tons of nitrogenous fertilizers, including 100,000 tons of wheat, 200,000 tons of phosphate and 10 thousand tons of potassium, and work will be done to secure these quantities.
Director General of Chemical Industries, Dr. Osama Abu Fakhr, reviewed the efforts exerted to operate the fertilizer plant and secure its needs and the production plan of 150,000 tons of urea.
The Director General of the General Authority for Scientific Agricultural Research, Dr. Magda Mufleh, indicated the extent of the possibility of endemic cultivation under fruit trees and the stages reached by the study of amending the fertilizer recommendation.
Ghassob Abboud
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