Agricultural products exhibition held at Tishreen University in Lattakia 

Within the framework of the plan to link the university with the community, and to provide general information to students and visitors on important topics related to agricultural products of all kinds, an   exhibition for agriculture products was held at Tishreen University in Lattakia province.

The five-day event witnessed wide participation by agricultural producers who displayed various types of crops, agricultural and animal products, nurseries, apiaries and handmade products by rural women.

Syriatimes e-newspaper visited the exhibition and met its head, Dr. Ibrahim Hamdan Saqr, Dean of the College of Agriculture at Tishreen University, who stated that “ the event  aims to introduce Syrian agricultural products and exchange experiences among the participants in the exhibition by shedding light on the contribution of the Faculty of Agricultural to linking the university with society through holding exhibitions and symposiums” thus maintaining a clean agricultural environment and a better economic return for the farmer.

“Just as we were heroes in the battlefield during the war on Syria, we will be heroes in the field of work, because ambition has no limits” the wounded Syrian soldier Suleiman Mussa, who is one of the participants, told the Syriatimes.

Mussa, who is also the owner and founder of a vermi compost (the black gold) project, which is the first of its kind in Syria, said “my project has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. It is one of the most important small pioneering projects that seek to achieve a sustainable green land with integrated elements without depending on chemical fertilizers”.

He indicated that vermi-compost is the product of the decomposition process based on using various species of worms. It has proven effective on fruit trees and greenhouses.

He stressed that his project aims to dispense chemical fertilizers and replace them with organic fertilizers, by making use of the peels of fruits and vegetables and their waste which are placed in specific ponds and filling them with types of worms and providing a suitable environment for their reproduction.

The founder of Active Project for Qualifying, Training and Entrepreneurship, Eng. Ali Abdullatif, a holder of bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, stressed the importance of the participation of Active Center’s team in the exhibition to highlight the importance of linking administrative development with productive development to generate higher production at lower costs and shorter period of time.

He pointed out that Active project, which participated in organizing the exhibition, comprises 30 male and female youths of various specializations. It aims to invest in human resources and qualify university graduates to enter the labor market through the stages of practical training, qualifying and entrepreneurship.

“Active center team was honored in a number of Arab countries. The Syrian youth are ambitious and creative and they need an incubator to support pioneering ideas and projects that will support the Syrian economy” Eng. Abdullatif concluded.

In turn, Eng. Ammar Al-Saleh, a graduate of the Plant Protection Department at the College of Agriculture and the founder of Athar agricultural platform, stressed the importance of the exhibition to exchange expertise in the field of agriculture and to introduce their experiments in this regard.

He indicated that Ather Agricultural Platform is an environmental one and it is the first of its kind in Syria. It comprises 52 researchers and engineers from different provinces.

Eng. Saleh added that the platform is divided into several teams with different tasks, including providing agricultural consultations and organizing training and environmental workshops on issues relating to plants, animals, food and agricultural lands.

Interviewed by: Rawaa Ghanam

Photos by: Rawaa  Ghanam