Homs-Sana
The apricot tree tops the list of fruitful trees in Homs, and is considered one of the important sources of income for the people, and this year witnessed a decline in production as a result of the trees being exposed to two frost waves during the flowering period.
During a tour of the apricot orchards in the Al-Qusayr area in Homs countryside, the farmers confirmed to SANA Economic Bulletin that despite the high market prices this year, they are not commensurate with the high production costs and the lack of some work requirements such as fertilizers.
Agricultural engineer Gerges Nakhleh Wehbe, one of the farmers in the Qusair region, indicated that he owns about twenty dunums of apricots of various types and the productivity differed according to the type, indicating that the price of apricots ranges between 1400 and 1600 of the field land, which is a price that is not commensurate with the high costs incurred by the farmer from the rent of picking and the price of containers. .
For his part, the Director of Homs Agriculture, Eng. Nazih Al-Rifai, stated in a statement to the bulletin that the area planted with apricots in Homs governorate amounts to 48,272 irrigated acres, and production estimates for the current year are 5,747 tons, stressing that ninety percent of the areas planted with apricots are concentrated in the Al-Qusayr area, where all the appropriate conditions for its cultivation are met. The directorate, through its technical cadres, continues to state the orchards.
For his part, Engineer Muhammad al-Souqi, head of the Qusayr Agriculture Department, pointed out the decline in apricot production this season compared to previous years, due to its exposure to two waves of frost that affected production, especially for the first varieties such as Italian - Golden - and caused a damage rate of 35 percent, indicating that the Qusayr area in Homs countryside is famous for several Kinds of Basbousi apricots or Italian-Golden-Tadmouri-French apricots,” indicating that the prices are according to the type of apricot.
For his part, Mowaffaq Zakaria, head of the Marketing Office of the Homs Farmers Union, pointed out that the productivity is medium and lower this year, and the prices for the farmer are somewhat appropriate due to their high, as for the consumer, they are very high, pointing out that the biggest winner is the commercial broker, who plays a bad role in marketing the material.
Zakaria said that the price of apricots per kilo ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 liras, depending on the variety, and marketing takes place in the al-Hal market, pointing to the need for Syrian trade to intervene in marketing the material to reduce the role of the commercial broker and support farmers.
Muhammad Omran, director of the Syrian branch of trade in Homs, confirmed that the institution has positively intervened in the marketing of apricots directly from the farmers, as it is drawn and distributed in the halls, indicating that the material is expensive from its source and is sold in the halls according to the price of the supply.
Saba Khairbek
SANA Economic Bulletin
