Damascus countryside-SANA
The demands of farmers in the towns of Deir Maker, Kanaker, Mazraat al-Naffur and al-Hussainiya centered during the field tour conducted by the Minister of Agriculture, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatana, and the Governor of Damascus Countryside, Moataz Abu al-Nasr Jamran, to provide agricultural diesel and secure the needs of fertilizer for all crops at subsidized prices.
The demands also dealt with providing fodder and veterinary medicines at acceptable prices and ensuring their delivery to breeders, as well as securing electricity and loans to install alternative energy for wells, constructing agricultural roads, rehabilitating old roads, reclamation of land, and increasing grants and projects for rural women.
Qatana explained that the agricultural plan that was approved early this year focused on safe areas with the aim of securing their requirements before starting their implementation, as 70,000 tons of sifted and sterilized wheat seeds were secured ready for distribution, and 50 thousand tons of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers, which will be distributed in two batches for strategic and main crops and fruit trees. Direction by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers to make diesel fuel for the agricultural and heating sector as a priority.
And he indicated that the support for the prices of production requirements will be around 15 percent of their market price, pointing out that the pricing mechanism for strategic crops has changed so that pricing will be according to marketing prices, which will achieve double support for the farmer and a profitable profit margin, pointing out that the state has opened the door for lending to install alternative energy with soft loans and adopted a mechanism New financing for small and micro projects, and this supports rural families and contributes to creating new opportunities for them to work and achieve self-sufficiency and additional income.
In a statement to reporters, the minister stated that the aim of the tour was to listen to the farmers' demands and suggestions, noting that a technical team from the Ministry of Agriculture and the governorate's executive office participated in the tour to receive the demands directly.
In turn, Jamran stressed that the Damascus Countryside Governorate is working to secure all the necessary services for the population in the area, with the aim of returning them to production and helping them to settle.
Ghassob Abboud
