ACSAD Holds a Workshop on the Development of Wheat Cultivation in the Arab Countries

Damascus- A workshop on the role of biotechnology in improving the productivity of wheat and drought-resistant crops in the Arab world was held here on Sunday by the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Areas (ACSAD). The workshop was attended by 16 agricultural experts from Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Tunisia and Lebanon.

Director General of ACSAD, Dr. Rafiq Ali Saleh, pointed to the great importance of holding this scientific workshop to contribute to the building of Arab capacities in the field of wheat development in the Arab countries.

Dr. Saleh said that all Arab countries except Syria lack in their wheat needs, pointing out that Arab countries are growing up to 10 million hectares, producing about 27 million tons of wheat, while Arab countries are importing 38 million tons worth more than $ 13 billion.

Dr. Saleh asked agricultural researchers in the Arab region to focus on the vertical expansion and increase the productivity of this strategic crop, calling on all Arab countries to study the Syrian experience and benefit from self-sufficiency of wheat and export.

The practical scientific program of the workshop includes a number of topics and issues related to the role of biotechnology in the development of wheat cultivation in the Arab countries and practical training in the laboratories of ACSAD and field trips to some of the stations of ACSAD to see the field experiments underway and provide papers on the experiences of a number of Arab countries in the field of development of wheat cultivation.

Sh. Kh.