Food processing unit in Rabah village in Homs countryside ... Improving the standard of living for female workers

Hummus-Sana

The food processing unit in Rabah village in the western Homs countryside formed a distinctive image of the collective work of women from the village, which contributed to improving their standard of living through participatory work.

SANA's camera visited the manufacturing unit, where the engineer, Mona Mahfoud, Head of the Department of Rural Women Development in the Homs Agriculture Directorate, indicated that the manufacturing unit provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to the village of Rabah, which is famous for apples, was chosen for the manufacture of apple products such as “jams, molasses, vinegar, milk and juices” and some other materials such as cheese, milk and Quraish. Pickles, etc.

She also indicated that 10 women from the village are currently working in the manufacturing unit who manufacture apple products, dairy, cheese, butter, pickles, sweets, etc., confirming that marketing is done in the village itself or through social media and the phone, or by participating in festivals, bazaars and markets set up by the Agriculture Directorate.

Engineer Lubna Asi, responsible for rural women in Rabah village, indicated that the Food Processing Unit project, which was launched about a year and 3 months ago, contributed to providing assistance to a number of village women who needed work and gained them experience to launch their own projects, stressing that through the unit various materials are manufactured and all of them are guaranteed And natural and clean, indicating that before the opening of the unit, the women were subjected to courses set up by the Ministry of Agriculture to calculate the costs of the product so that the price would be appropriate for them and compete with the market.

Amal Nader, a worker in the unit, indicated that she started working in the unit since its inauguration and that she works with her colleagues in the manufacture of apple products, jams of all kinds, sour grapes, pomegranate molasses, milk, cheese, butter and Quraish.

She said: “Working in the unit contributed to improving our income in addition to the good times that we spend with each other through teamwork,” noting the importance of the qualifying courses that the department implemented for them before the opening of the unit, which contributed to enhancing their knowledge and experience to produce a product within good specifications and without preservatives.

The worker, Hiyam Issa, said: “The unit provided us with a great job opportunity, gave us experience, and taught us to benefit from the different seasons in our village, especially apples, and when there are no seasons, we make cheese, milk, Quraish and others, as we learned accurate manufacturing methods and work according to demand and availability of materials.

The worker, Dina Ibrahim, added: “We manufacture various products according to the seasons at the unit, which provided us with acceptable income in addition to experience,” noting the most prominent work difficulties, including the difficulty in securing materials and competition with industrial materials in the market.

Saba Kharibak