Damascus - Hama - Sana
The Director of Plant Production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Engineer Ahmed Haidar, explained that beet cultivation was revived by working to rehabilitate the factory of the Tal Salhab Sugar Company and the process in its final stages, in addition to taking the necessary measures by the Ministries of Agriculture and Industry for contractual cultivation between the factory and farmers.
Haidar pointed out that the areas designated for beet cultivation were identified and a sufficient quantity of seeds was imported through the General Organization for Seed Multiplication by securing the autumn lug seeds for farmers and distributing them through agricultural banks.
As for the affected area, which is 1,283 hectares out of the total area planted with sugar beet, amounting to 3159 hectares, Haider explained that the reason is due to the failure of some farmers to adhere to the date of planting the autumn lug as a result of their previous experiences in cultivation and their waiting for rain that negatively affected its productivity in addition to their fear of closing the plant in the past years and not Possibility of discharging the crop elsewhere.
For their part, the farmers of sugar beet in Hama demanded to support its cultivation in the governorate, especially in the Al-Ghab region, including Murad Ibrahim, who confirmed that the delay in planting beet and the frost wave had a significant impact on the productivity with the possibility of its decline, which will cause a loss for the farmers, calling on the concerned authorities to increase the price of the ton to match the costs Production, especially in light of the multiple stages of beet production and sometimes faltering.
In turn, farmer Abdul-Hussein Shaiban complained about the high prices of agricultural medicines and fertilizers, calling for expediting the issuance of the agricultural plan with guarantees from the Peasants' Union to receive the crop from the farmers on time.
In the context, Hafez Salem, head of the Hama Farmers Union, explained that the beet crop was planted this year, as the entire plan was implemented, but the weather conditions and frost waves led to damage to the crop, indicating that damage statements were made, and the Drought Fund would compensate the affected farmers, pointing out that the union took steps to encourage beet cultivation. Implementation of the production plan for the next agricultural season.
Salem indicated that a meeting was held last week at the Tal Salhab Sugar Company, which included all those concerned with cultivating this crop, and the necessary measures to implement and increase the plan for planting the crop were discussed, including the provision of fuel oil, the necessary fertilizers and improved seeds, while raising the marketing price in proportion to the real cost of cultivation.
For his part, the assistant director of the Tal Salhab Sugar Factory, Rami Issa, stated that 3,100 hectares of the contracted area were planted, and the demand was good for cultivation, but as a result of the repeated and successive frost waves during cultivation, an area of 1,300 hectares was left, indicating the possibility of raising the price of a ton of beet as a result of the high costs Cultivation of fuel, fertilizers, pesticides and transportation fees.
SANA Economic Bulletin
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