Latakia-SANA
As part of its development response in Lattakia countryside, and with the aim of restoring agricultural lands affected by fires and developing the surrounding rural communities, the Syrian Trust for Development launched today a specialized workshop to develop the general orientation of the agriculture and livestock sector in the Al-Fakhoura district.
The 4-day workshop in Apamea Resort in Lattakia is organized by the Syrian Trust for Development in partnership with the official institutions in the governorate, representatives of the local community, experts and specialists.
Al-Fakhoura district was chosen as the most affected area by the fires at the level of Qardaha and Lattakia in general, as the starting point for the development strategy that will continue in all areas affected by the fires that hit the coastal and central regions in late 2020 to reach a sustainable community that is self-sufficient and optimally invests its resources for advancement Living and social reality, with a focus on the agricultural file.
Governor of Lattakia, Amer Hilal, indicated in the opening speech of the workshop to the extent of the damage caused to infrastructure, people’s properties, agricultural and forest lands as a result of the fires in the governorate on the 9th and 10th of October 2020, and the efforts made by government sectors and public companies’ workshops to restore services and public facilities in parallel with Fire suppression operations.
Hilal said, "The workshop is an opportunity for us to participate as government agencies and civil and community actors in developing a methodology for development plans for the villages affected by the fires and investing possible opportunities in the agricultural sectors, livestock and related industries in Al-Fakhoura district to develop the affected villages economically, socially and service within the direction of comprehensive development later in all villages and sectors.”
In statements to SANA, Areen Al-Ali, the national director of the “My Project” program of the Syrian Trust for Development, explained that the current workshop is the culmination of seven months of work and the result of the results of the rapid response that took place after the fires in the coastal and central regions in late 2020, indicating that the development plan that will be reached is a program Its implementation in Al-Fakhoura district is a starting point for subsequent development plans in other affected areas whose detailed data changes according to the specificity, needs and damages of each area and the local community in it.
Al-Ali added that the workshop will constitute a base station for discussing and developing the proposal for the general orientation of the agriculture and livestock sector with the aim of agreeing and adopting it through the secretariat launching a fruitful dialogue between working groups of about 100 people and a representative of the official authorities and the local community of the 18 parties, noting that agriculture is the address that It will be started.
Dr. Walid Al-Taweel, an expert from the Arab Center for Studies of Dry Areas and Arid Lands (ACSAD), explained that they are participating in the workshop through a multidisciplinary delegation to exchange views and experiences on the rehabilitation of agriculture and forest areas, the development of plant and animal production, and the introduction of development projects such as encouraging the cultivation of the Damascene rose, aromatic plants, beekeeping and others.
Dr. Ali Saadat, an expert in ACSAD, indicated that the center distributed 10,000 Shami roses to farmers in the village of Qalaat al-Mahalba, in cooperation with the Syrian Trust for Development and the Farmers’ Union, in the hope of circulating such projects to the areas affected by the fires, stressing the readiness of the center to assist in the re-development of the agricultural sector.
Bassem Doba, Director of Lattakia Agriculture, stated that the workshop will discuss the plan set for the development of Al-Fakhoura district by experts, technicians and scholars, and set an executive mechanism for the work program and start implementation immediately after the completion of the workshop to be a nucleus for future development projects, stressing the directorate’s readiness to implement everything that is required to make these plans a success and benefit from this experience. and circulate it.
Ibrahim Hassan, head of the Al-Fakhoura sub-district council, stated that the workshop culminates in the efforts made by the teams of the Syrian Trust for Development and the studies they previously conducted to identify the needs necessary to develop the local community and improve the living conditions of the people after the losses they sustained as a result of the fires.
Among the farmers participating in the workshop, Nibras Khaddour from the village of Al-Mu’alaqa pointed out that his participation in the workshop is to raise the difficulties facing livestock breeders, such as the high prices of feed and medicines, and focus on projects that help in the disposal of their products, such as the establishment of a dairy and cheese factory, while the farmer Bashar Tarboush from the village of Qalamoun pointed to the importance of improving the reality The agricultural sector in the region, compensating damaged trees, providing agricultural equipment and fertilizers to farmers, and obtaining soft loans.
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