Damascus-SANA
The Federation of Syrian Chambers of Agriculture held the first conference specialized in medicinal and aromatic plants, under the title (Green Investment), with the participation of the concerned government agencies, the private sector, the business sector, and research and financing bodies and institutions, at Dama Rose Hotel in Damascus.
The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Eng. Mohamed Hassan Qatna, explained that the aim of the conference is to develop a new strategy for the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, analyze problems, develop solutions, and organize this sector for its development and to be a development nucleus in rural areas, pointing out that investing these plants in an economic and developmental manner achieves high added value and provides great job opportunities. for the rural population.
Qatna pointed out that there are several bodies that support and finance the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, including private associations, the Federation of Chambers of Agriculture, the Agricultural Production Support Fund, the Cooperative Agricultural Bank, and the Rural Development Project, in addition to the law on financing small, medium and micro enterprises last year.
Qatna indicated that the Standards and Metrology Authority is seeking to characterize these plants, and agricultural scientific researchers are making efforts to find their genetic fingerprint, and the Ministry of Agriculture is working to develop evidence for their cultivation and dissemination.
The head of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Agriculture, Muhammad Kishto, indicated that there are more than 3,000 vegetable, medicinal and aromatic products in Syria, with different classifications, including crops and juices that are used in industries or many investments, which are food, industrial and pharmaceutical consumer products.
Kashto explained that holding this first conference aimed at networking all components of the sector to find a mechanism for partnership and cooperation for all its employees and to achieve a balanced return for investors and manufacturers, both internally and externally, in a well-studied scientific manner.
Director of Plant Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, Engineer Ahmed Haider, explained that medicinal plants are divided into more than one axis, one of which is cultivated, which is monitored and planned within the agricultural production plan for the five main crops of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are anise, cumin, coriander, nigella and fennel.
Haidar added that 68 thousand hectares were planned for this year's production plan of medicinal and aromatic crops that will be approved, while last year it included 61 thousand and this increase is a result of farmers' tendency to plant medicinal plants due to the low cost of their cultivation and the large rents of production.
Dr. Shadi Khatib, director of (Syria) Medicinal Herbs Company, stressed the importance of reaching a formula in which a group of medically economical plant names are circulated and that can be invested and work to increase their added value with the aim of selling them at a preferential price with an economic benefit to farmers.
Today’s conference sessions focused on the axes of production, manufacturing and marketing. The attendees, including researchers, farmers, technicians and investors, presented several proposals to advance this cultivation, including the search for endangered medicinal plants and their cultivation, the need for centers to collect their products from essential oils and others, and the need for a quality mark and production certificate.
The participants also called for benefiting from the experiences of countries that have achieved successes in medical cultivation, the introduction of carob in the areas that were exposed to fires, the need to link production to the drainage market, creating integrated production systems linked to each other, raising awareness of the importance of these plants and avoiding the use of chemical pesticides.
The conference, which concludes its sessions tomorrow, was attended by the Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, Dr. Amr Salem, the President of the Farmers' Union, members of the Advisory Council in the Council of Ministers, heads of federations, unions and organizations, a number of members of the People's Assembly, general managers, college deans, academics and specialists.
Mahran Mualla and Ghassob Abboud
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