The raisins industry in Sweida .. added value to the agricultural economy needs to be developed

Sweida-Sana

The raisins industry in Sweida governorate is a traditional profession that reflects the privacy of the region and the habits of its inhabitants due to the availability of the grape harvest.

According to the assistant of the Director of Agriculture in Sweden, Eng. Alaa Shuhaib, the percentage of grapes used in the manufacture of raisins from the total annual production is averaged between 10 and 11 percent, with an average production of 1400 to 1500 tons and concentrated in the areas of the back of the mountain, Kafr, Miamas, Arman, Qanat, Mufalah, Habran and Sahwa al-Khader.

Raisin industry in Sweida requires development, as the head of the rural women's department in the Directorate of Agriculture Eng. Mohsen Abu Samra reminds to expand the cultivation of industrial varieties and the establishment of manufacturing units and the use of solar dryers and raisins separators to separate the sticks from the grains quickly and shorten the time and effort and purify the product in addition to creating an external market for export and emphasize the need for training Farmers to produce according to standard specifications.

According to the expert in agricultural affairs, Engineer Nayef Sneih, raisins are usually prepared in orchards because of the ease of work in them and the most important varieties used in his industry is known as salti indicating that the manufacturing process starts by cleaning the clusters of impurities and then dipped with alkaline material with a little olive oil to remove the wax layer from the grain To facilitate drying and then brushed on fabrics on the roofs of houses or in the fields for several days under the sun to dry and then excess of Aramish to become a ready-to-eat raisin.

He pointed out the need to develop the process of producing raisins in large quantities according to studied standards and within specialized projects or facilities, especially with a demand for it, calling for filling it in regular packages that serve marketing and stimulate investment in this important industry for export while taking advantage of the advantages of the product bearing the conditions of storage and ease of handling.

The head of the agricultural association in the town of Arman Nahi Rashid shows that a large number of farmers in the town manufacture raisins in good quantities exceeding some 250 kilograms and is marketed among the people inside and outside the province to achieve added value compared to the sale of grapes without processing while a number of farmers resort to manufacture it for mortar purposes only .

And raisins, according to nutrition consultant Kifah Abu Tafesh is a source of energy because it contains simple sugars and vitamin B, as well as minerals, which makes it helpful in regulating heart rate and prevent high blood pressure and strengthen the work of muscles and the prevention of anemia, as well as rich in oxidation elements and polyphenols that fight free radicals to prevent infections and injury In addition to the availability of dietary fiber, which regulates bowel movement and reduce cholesterol and promote the growth of good bacteria in the colon.

Long lifetime