Agriculture Minister: Mapping out Clear Vision to Develop Livestock

DAMASCUS, (ST) – Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Ahmed al- Qadri has underlined the need to develop a clear vision and agree on actions and alternatives that will develop, support and protect the livestock sector.
During a meeting with the directorates concerned in livestock at the ministry, Agronomists’ Association, Veterinarians and Farmers Unions, the Minister stressed the need to take care for livestock to maintain its distinguished breeds to protect and improve the livestock and provide all necessary support for breeders to help them to continue the production process.

The Minister called for providing a clear vision of the problems and difficulties in the development and improvement of livestock productivity and the development of the proposed solutions within the current circumstances in order to ensure the continuity of this sector to mitigate the impact of current conditions on breeders and ensure production requirements of feed and health care, calling to take advantage of all activities carried out by the Livestock Development Project.

For his part, Director of the Animal Health at the Ministry, Dr. Hassan Suleiman, clarified that the Directorate produces 17 kinds of vaccines covering 70 percent of the livestock need, despite the difficulty of securing raw materials.
Mr. Sulaiman noted that the delay in securing materials and diagnostic kits and necessary laboratory requirements in quantity and quality at the right time caused a problem in production in addition to stop production of vaccines
Director of the Animal Health called for ensuring the equipment and supplies of laboratory work and finding a formula for joint action to cooperate with the ministries of health and the environment to serve the implementation of the joint work and provide some production requirements through imports from alternative markets.
For his part, Director of the Animal Production at the ministry, Eng. Ahmed Qadish, reviewed some measures and decisions taken by the Directorate to overcome the obstacles and problems facing the workers of this sector, pointing out that poultry farmers can import soybean and maize from Lebanon.

Director of the General Establishment of Animal Feed, Dr. Ahmed Sheikh, said that the company contracted to provide 300 thousand tons of feed materials of which 100 thousand tons of maize and 100 thousand tons of barley and 100 thousand tons of soy and sold at low prices for breeders up to 20 pounds per kilogram of barley and 26 pounds of corn.
Director of the General Establishment of Poultry, Eng. Siraj al Kheder, proposed to  secure liquidity for breeders by giving them loans and contribute to the initiation of productivity process and requiring owners of poultry in annual production plan after ensuring supplies of productivity and support exports of poultry sector in coordination with the development and promotion of exports.

Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform met with Head of the  General Federation of Peasants and members of the Executive Bureau and talked about the need to work and coordinate to solve all the problems and difficulties faced by the agricultural sector and farmers in these circumstances and seek to provide support and assistance to farmers.

Members of the Executive Bureau called for finding markets for marketing the surplus of agricultural production and putting a five-year plan for the marketing policy and focus on agricultural researches to upgrade the crops and increase profitability, especially seeds.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture pointed out to the exceptional circumstances experienced by Syria urged everyone to exert further efforts to reduce the negative effects that hit the agricultural sector and ensure the continuity of the process of agricultural productivity and ensure the needs of citizens of different crops in different governorates, indicating the importance of teamwork and organization in achieving good agricultural product and overcoming all difficulties in agricultural work.
The Minister of Agriculture underlined that the ministry will work to solve all outstanding issues in the agricultural work and the formation of effective work teams and working harder in order to activate the role of the agricultural associations specialized in marketing.

He also called for a mechanism to expand the work of these associations, in coordination with the GFP to lead their role better and reduce the role of mediator between the consumer and the producer which reflects positively on crop marketing internally and export the surplus.
On the other hand, he pointed out that the condition of pastures in the desert is encouraging due to good rainfalls but we need a strategy and vision to protect and increase the numbers of livestock and improve productivity to reduce imports of animal in this field, which cost the state millions of dollars, especially that Syria has strains of good sheep, cows, goats and buffaloes and seek the deployment of integrated agricultural systems through following an agricultural system that includes cereals, pulses and livestock so as to ensure the stability and improve the income of the farmer.

Sh. Kh.