Homs- Sana
Farmers in the countryside of Homs began reaping the potato crop for the spring season, despite the difficulties that accompanied the farming operations and accompany them today in the harvesting operations in light of the lack of production requirements, as the Homs Agriculture Directorate estimated the amount of production in the current season at 26,630 tons.
Engineer Younis Hamdan, director of Homs agriculture, said in a statement to SANA reporter that the area planted with spring potatoes amounted to about 1575 hectares of the planned area, which amounted to 1660 hectares, with an implementation rate of more than 94 percent, indicating that the rest of the area was cultivated by farmers with wheat crop.
During a SANA reporter’s tour of the town of Qatina in the southwestern Homs countryside, Elias Al-Assas, a potato farmer, indicated that the area planted with the potato crop is 90 dunums, and marketing prices range between 800 and 900 Syrian pounds per kilo, indicating that the productivity is good and he has not been exposed to any satisfactory crop. However, the prices are not Fit the high cost.
Al-Assas called on the authorities concerned with the agricultural situation to provide the production requirements, the most important of which are diesel and fertilizers, explaining that the cost of producing one dunum exceeded one million and 250 thousand Syrian pounds, which is not acceptable in relation to potato prices.
In turn, the farmer Radwan Al-Sarmini stressed the need to work to raise the selling price of potatoes in the cardamom market or open the door for export to compensate for part of the financial burdens incurred by the farmer, pointing to the significant increase in labor costs, including the high prices of diesel, fertilizers, pesticides, and wages for farmers and workers.
A number of female workers in the potato harvest indicated that the potato harvest season provides additional job opportunities and contributes to securing a financial return for the people of the countryside. Others pack them in special bags and then load them into cars for transport to Al-Hal Market early.
Saba Khairbek
SANA Economic Bulletin
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