Tartous-Sana
The experience of cultivating saffron for the first time in the Rural Development Center in Al-Tun Al-Jard area in Tartous Governorate continued its success steps after it was launched by the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in the governorate in cooperation with the Syrian Society for Social Development last year and after a great effort of follow-up and coordination with agricultural engineers.
The Director of the Rural Development Center in Al-Tun Al-Jard, Engineer Shadi Houria, explained to SANA that the saffron bulbs began to grow and bloom clearly, indicating that the experience of cultivating them was carried out according to a series of steps that included analyzing the soil and preparing the appropriate studies, after which 700 saffron bulbs were planted as a first stage within an area of about 300 square meters. Watering it in a drip method and following it up on a daily basis.
The success of the saffron cultivation experience contributes to its transfer and expansion to other lands in the region, according to Houria, noting that a training course will be announced soon to teach how to cultivate it and qualify the trainees so that the cultivation of this type becomes a source of income for them and translate the role of the center to achieve social development and activate the partnership between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Syrian Association for Social Development.
It is noteworthy that in 2016, the Rural Development Center was revived in the Al-Tun Al-Jard area, within the framework of joint cooperation between the United Nations Development Program, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and Tartous Governorate, which aims to develop and support the capabilities of the local community.
The center holds various training courses, including teaching sewing, knitting, hand-made carpets, computer education, mushroom cultivation, dairy industry, cheese and others.
Muhannad Suleiman
