Damascus-Sana
The head of the Agriculture and Scientific Research Department at the Coastal Branch of the Tobacco Foundation, Eng. Ayman Ali Qarah Falah, said that the process of receiving the crop started in Al-Qadmous area on the 22nd of this month, followed by the rest of the regions, respectively, after the completion of the formation of committees to receive the crop at the branch level in addition to securing procurement headquarters. And processing.
On the marketing process, Qarah Falah pointed out in a statement to the SANA Economic Bulletin that the crop is packed in burlap parcels distributed free of charge to farmers and then numbered to be supplied to the purchasing committees accurately to evaluate the crop by a specialist expert and send the transaction to the agricultural department of the purchasing department to organize a check on the value of the crop and deliver To the farms by hand.
Qara Falah explained that the prices of buying tobacco from farmers are appropriate and rewarding, ranging from 1800 pounds per kilogram type "doubt girl extra" and "excellent Berlai" and 2000 for Katrina and up to 3000 pounds for the type of footprint and accept the objections of farmers within the 48 hours following the purchase.
Qarah Falah denied the decline in the area planted with tobacco, pointing out that the decline in production estimates this season is due to the prevailing weather conditions during the planting period, noting that the current production quantities are estimated at 11 million kilograms of various varieties compared to 13.5 million kilograms in the previous season.
Qara Falah said that the General Organization for Tobacco is providing seed for free to farmers and the agricultural cadre to follow up the entire agricultural process starting from agriculture to drying and delivery in addition to support all the requirements of the production process in advance of the crop without benefits, pointing out that the areas of tobacco growing mainly in the provinces Tartous and Latakia expanded to include the governorates of Hama and Homs.
In a similar statement, the head of the farmers union in Tartous Mudar Asaad talked about the concerns of tobacco farmers in the province, the most important of which is the adoption of the licensed area for farmers in agriculture instead of the cultivated area, in order to preserve the interest of farmers as it is the only source of income in a number of villages indicating the inability of many farmers to cultivate in Previous years due to the crisis conditions and lack of labor.
Asaad called on behalf of tobacco farmers to put farmers in the committees to buy tobacco crop and open the door to cultivate the type of "doubt girl" farmers above 300 meters from the sea because there is no alternative cultivation in addition to work to increase the price of the category "Catherine" to encourage its cultivation and work to create Sorting and packaging center for tobacco in Qadmous.
For his part, Eng. Mowaffak Zakaria, head of marketing office in Homs Farmers' Union, explained that the cultivated areas of tobacco in Homs governorate amounted to more than 4000 dunums of which 3600 dunums in Talkalakh countryside, pointing out that the Tobacco Foundation receives the whole crop at rewarding prices and also insures the agricultural production requirements for farmers. It gave stability to farmers as public sector institutions are the sole guarantor of the farmer and demanded to increase the tobacco cultivation plan as a national product of economic importance locally and abroad.
Abdul Rahman Badi Fadl, head of the jungle tobacco division, said in a similar statement the importance of tobacco cultivation, which has become a strategic alternative to many other traditional crops in the region and proved productive and economic feasibility, pointing out that the number of licenses granted by the Division to those who wish to grow tobacco this year reached A license for the majority of the families of the martyrs and demobilized from the compulsory and reserve service to encourage them to expand the cultivation of the crop in which they find an opportunity to profit and a source of income.
Nadim Mualla
SANA Economic Bulletin
