Latakia-SANA
The total quantity of tobacco crop production in Lattakia for the current year amounted to about three million and 387 thousand kilograms, with a total value of more than 9 billion Syrian pounds, an increase of 15 percent over the last agricultural season.
Engineer Ayman Qara Falah, Director of Agriculture and Scientific Research at the General Tobacco Corporation, said in a statement to SANA reporter that the areas planted with tobacco for the current agricultural season in Lattakia governorate amounted to about 21.5 thousand dunums, an increase of about 15 percent over the previous season, where it was allowed to plant the Baladi variety (Shakk Al-Bint) by 2 dunams for each farmer in agricultural areas where there are no alternative cultivations as a contribution from the Foundation to support farmers, as its cultivation provides a financial return for them, in addition to the fact that the door to licensing has been opened for the laid-off, war-wounded and special cases who wish to grow tobacco.
Qara Falah pointed out that as part of the facilities provided by the Corporation to farmers, it delivers the tobacco farmers in advance on the crop without interest in terms of fertilizers and pesticides. It also provides free seeds for all types, in addition to tobacco packaging bags, as well as transporting the crop by vehicles of the Corporation and at its expense from the place where the farmer collects his crop to warehouses. Storing and securing seedlings free of charge for farmers affected by weather factors, pests, locust attacks, and so on, while postponing their debts to the institution, and every year it plants support nurseries distributed in all areas of tobacco cultivation.
He explained that the agricultural staff of the institution is permanently on the field with farmers to monitor any pandemic or pest that may affect the tobacco plant and technically support farmers with continuous agricultural seminars and in all agricultural areas where it is clarified how to use fertilizers and pesticides in addition to optimal solutions to treat diseases and pests that may affect the tobacco plant such as Blue rot, crown rot, worms, etc.
He pointed out that the Corporation, in coordination with all government agencies, seeks to secure diesel for drying ovens and water for irrigation, pointing out at the same time that the Corporation, at the end of each agricultural season and before the beginning of the next agricultural season, forms a committee to study the reality of agricultural production, in whose membership is a representative of the General Union For farmers and a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture with the aim of studying the costs of production requirements and proposing appropriate measures, which resulted in the approval of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, based on the proposal of the Economic Committee, to raise the purchase price of tobacco from farmers by an increase of between 1,000 to 1,500 Syrian pounds per kilogram, according to the type of variety.
Qara Falah indicated that the price of the municipal tobacco variety (Shak Al-Bint) is 4500 Syrian pounds per kilogram, tobacco 3520, Basma 5300, Prilep 4500, Burley 3400, Katerini 4500 and Virginia 3900, which is positively reflected on farmers and production quantities alike.
