Damascus countryside-SANA
Cultivation of apricot trees has returned to the center of attention in Damascus countryside, while farmers continue to harvest the crop amid estimates exceeding 22,719 tons, concentrated in the Eastern and Western Ghouta, Yabroud, Al-Qatifah, Al-Haramoun, Al-Tal and Rankos.
Director of Agriculture in Damascus Countryside, Irfan Ziadeh, explained in a statement to SANA reporter that restoring the shine of this crop is a necessity that we seek to reach by restoring the areas that were cut down by terrorist organizations, pointing out that about 46,000 trees were planted in Ghouta, bringing the total number of trees to 361,000 trees over An area of 1300 hectares.
From Beit Tema in the Qatana area, the farmers indicated to the SANA reporter while following the harvest of their crop that the prices of apricots do not match the cost, and the merchants are the first and last beneficiaries, calling for more support to be able to obtain high productivity as it is one of the most important crops they have and they depend on for their livelihood.
The farmer Ahmed Idris explained that the yield of this season was little compared to the previous seasons due to the lack of rain and the frost that hit the trees during the month of March, while the farmer Mahmoud Ibrahim saw that the apricots need follow-up, fertilization and good watering to give high productivity.
Ahmed Gomaa, among the farmers who shop for apricots in Beit Tima, indicated that he shopped about 5 tons daily.
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