Homs-Sana
The Homs Agriculture Directorate estimated the governorate’s production of apples for the current agricultural season at 125 thousand tons.
The director of Homs agriculture, Younis Hamdan, explained in a statement to SANA reporter that the largest area of apples is planted in rainfed conditions with 68,797 dunums out of the total area of 112,364 dunums, while the total number of trees is about 4.4 million trees, including 3.7 million fruitful trees, pointing out that the cultivation of apples is spread over large areas. From the countryside of the governorate, especially the villages of the western countryside, in addition to some villages of the Qusair countryside, southwest of Homs.
For his part, the head of the Department of Fruitful Trees in the Directorate of Agriculture in Homs, Eng. Naji Saed, indicated that the governorate ranks first in the country in terms of production, and the areas planted with apples are distributed in the villages of the western center with 50,000 dunams, in Taldo 18,000 dunums, and in Tal Kalakh area with 19,000 dunams, and in the villages of the Quseir countryside 25 1,000 dunams, in the eastern center 4,000 dunams, and the two villages 100 dunams.
Regarding the reality of the crop for the current season, he said that production estimates are good despite the season being exposed to a severe cold wave during the stage of small fruits, especially in the regions of the western center and Taldo, noting that the apple crop needs attention and the provision of services of spraying with pesticides periodically, and the directorate gives directions and instructions to farmers about ways Crop care and service.
Farmer Maher Salloum from Rabah village, who "owns an orchard of golden apples," said that the current season's production is good compared to last year and was not exposed to serious diseases such as scab, but was affected by the cold wave that the region witnessed at the beginning of last June, which left a noticeable impact on the fruits of the apples Which will subsequently negatively affect its marketing and sales.
During the 2021 season, the production of chickpeas from apples amounted to about 92 thousand tons.
Abdul Hamid Junaidy
SANA Economic Bulletin
