Lattakia-Sana
Participants in the specialized meeting on developing the agricultural reality in the Lattakia and Tartous governorates reviewed today the means of rehabilitating the agricultural sector in the two governorates through development ideas and visions to solve the problems facing it, whether in production or marketing.
The interventions of the participants in the meeting of specialists and those interested in the agricultural sector held at Dar Al-Assad for Culture in Lattakia stressed support for developing local seeds, developing new varieties, creating a genetic bank to take off with genetic projects to improve the quality of seeds, working to provide fertilizers that farmers need, finding alternatives to importing them, and resorting to organic fertilizer with a material. Compost to produce clean products and revive the compost plant in Jableh, which used to produce this important material.
The attendees called for increasing the granting of loans for agricultural projects, facilitating the access of the owners of agricultural equipment such as nuts and herbs to diesel, and working to secure small tractors for farmers to reduce the effort on the farmer, reduce costs, invest the abundant springs in irrigation projects that benefit farmers instead of wasting them in the sea, and work to manufacture an effective vaccine to immunize the livestock sector to protect them. What contributes to limiting the import of vaccines and investing agricultural waste in the coast and using them in national programs to serve the ruminants with fodder and investing livestock and their waste in the manufacture of cosmetic powders.
They also called for supporting the requirements for raising livestock and increasing their number, working to reduce the prices of veterinary medicines, raise the level of pharmaceutical laboratories, secure insecticides and distribute them for free, work on health insurance for livestock and restore the cultivation of mulberry trees in order to develop silk worm breeding while supporting the development of strains, activating the manufacture and marketing of silk threads and reintroducing them. Activating carpet manufacturing units in the countryside to support farm income and compete with this product globally.
The Minister of Agriculture, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatna, stressed during the meeting that the coastal region is distinguished by many products that must be preserved, especially since it has suffered in recent years a lot of damage and losses due to the decline in its prices, which prompted farmers to uproot them like citrus trees, and this in itself is a national disaster that is no less than Fire disasters that affected forests and agricultural lands.
He stressed the importance of working to implement correct agricultural programs that contribute to the development of the agricultural sector, calling for activating the important role of agricultural extension to deliver information to farms quickly, pointing out that the government is a major supporter of the agricultural sector.
The Director of Lattakia Agriculture, Engineer Munther Khair Bey, gave a detailed presentation on the agricultural production in its two parts, plant and animal in the governorate, the invested areas and the distribution of fruit trees therein, what are the problems facing this sector and the proposed solutions to support it, indicating the need to establish a juice plant and factories for the production of table olives with high-quality marketing specifications and support Soil Analysis Center with the necessary materials to analyze all nutrients, support clean organic farming and licensed poultry, settle unlicensed ones, work on rehabilitating scorched lands, and support cattle, apiaries and silk worm breeders.
The meeting was attended by the Governor of Latakia, Ibrahim Khader Al-Salem, and the Secretary of the Latakia branch of the Arab Socialist Baath Party, Engineer Haitham Ismail.
After the meeting, the Minister Qatana participated in an afforestation campaign within the campus of Tishreen University, in which various forest trees were planted, including carob, laurel and fruit pine, then he met in the central library of the university with professors and cadres of the Faculty of Agriculture, where he indicated that agriculture is the engine of growth in Syria and the importance of the partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and educational institutions To solve the problems related to agriculture in Syria and contribute to the agricultural development process, stressing the necessity of applying scientific research on the ground in order to achieve integration of efforts between all research and applied bodies and reach a final and practical outcome that reaches the farmer and achieves economic feasibility for him.
The interventions focused on the need for joint research cooperation between the university and the Ministry of Agriculture and directing scientific research to be applied research and the delivery of these research to the relevant departments in the Ministry of Agriculture for implementation and the involvement of the private sector in these research in a way that will positively affect society and the introduction of new plant species such as chestnut and moringa.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Bassam Hassan, President of the University and Secretary of the University Branch of the Arab Socialist Baath Party, Dr. Mirna Dalalah.
Firas Zerda