(Zaman Al Wasl)- In case of besieged by an enemy, people have to rely on their riches, land, energies and be self-reliant to secure their livings. As well known to the whole world the Assad regime has practiced the most terrific kind of siege on the liberated areas, with the aim of avenging them and avenging people who demand freedom and rise up against his regime and his family that plundered the riches of Syria and impoverished the people.
Due to the war the agricultural sector is one of the most affected sectors in Syria. Once, the civilians in Deraa are trying to rely on their rich and giving land, which is suitable for all kind of rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, whether field, vegetable or tree. However, the civilians facing many problems that affecting the agriculture: including the ongoing war of Al Assad and the targeting of lands with miles and bombs in order to burn and destroy the corps.
Other factors contributed to the decline in agriculture, such as: labor migration due to fear of death or arrest, erratic rainfall, limited aquifers, the dislocation of cities and towns and the increase of feeds, pesticides ad fuel.
Assistant Minister of Agriculture in the Syrian Interim Government, Engineer “Nazih Qaddah” explained the lack of demand for agriculture in recent years because of the large and frequent loss that affects the farms each year.
“60 percent of the areas allocated for agriculture are grown in wheat (550.000 dunam). The annual crop quantity of wheat is 45 thousand tons” Qaddah told Zaman Al Wasl.
He stressed the possibility for self-sufficiency of grain output in Diraa, because there is more than 70percent of liberated agricultural lands, in case of providing the necessary support needed for farmers to be able to cultivate their lands.
He emphasized the availability of resources (peasant, land and materials), criticizing the way that international organization are supporting the liberated areas “they provide food parcels and do not support the projects and plans of development and agriculture”.
The Assistant Minister of Agriculture said that Deraa has self-sufficiency in terms of grain and it needs annually for 60 thousand tons, also, he pointed the existence of a number of plans aimed at: promoting the agricultural situation, supporting farmers and providing seeds through increasing projects of somatic embryogenesis.
“Somatic embryogenesis provides farmers with improved seeds, fertilizers, and fuel and workers wages to help them survive the season. After the harvest, the corps is brought from farmers with better prices (20 percent better than the market prices)” he said.
There is also a support for farmers and their livelihoods, through grants for olive cultivation and providing free burlap sacks (470000 sacks), in addition to the continuously meetings with the provincial council, the grain enterprise, the support coordination unit as well as the seed multiplication institution to develop the purchase plans from farmers and pricing the wheat.
He revealed several projects provided for the supporting organizations, in order to purchase 20 thousand tons from the farmers in this year.
According to Qaddah, the parts that generally buy the crops are: the support coordination unit, the seed multiplication and the grain enterprise, however, they have yet to determine the price of wheat for this year. He pointed that the Assad regime has raised the price of the wheat’s kilo to 150 Syrian pounds.
He considered that the most important problems facing the agricultural season of field and rain-fed crops (wheat - chickpeas, barley, lentils and peas) are the late or the precipitation of rainfall at bad times (times that do not fit these crops).
He concluded by saying to Zaman Al Wasl: "The Hauran plains are rich and able to meet all the needs of civilians. They are cultivated by God with field crops (such as wheat, chickpeas, barley, lentils, beans and peas), vegetable crops (such as tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and peppers) and trees (olive, grapes and pomegranate). So this is not offered any land in the region”.
By Mohamed Hamadeh
EQTSAD
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