DAMASCUS, (ST)- The public relations committee of the private sector team participating in the 61^st edition of Damascus International Fair (DIF) has sent invitations to businessmen delegations from several Arab and foreign countries to visit DIF and know about the exhibited products as well as the trade and investment opportunities available in Syria, particularly as the country is launching an all-out reconstruction process.

Chairman of the Damascus Countryside Chamber of Commerce, head of the committee Wasim al-Qattan said in a statement to SANA that the committee is working to expand the range of invitations to businessmen in coordination with other Syrian chambers, economic parties and concerned public sides with the purpose of providing necessary facilitations and support as to make these visits a success for the benefit of national economy.

MOSCOW-Russian Expert and diplomat for the Middle Eastern affairs Viacheslav Matuzov affirmed that Damascus International Fair is one of most important economic events in the region, SANA reported.

"A lot of Russian and European companies show interest to work in Syria, whether in regards to reconstruction process or in the field of energy and agriculture,” Matuzov told SANA correspondent in Moscow on Thursday.

In a similar interview, Economic Researcher Gregory Lukyanov said that economic exhibitions and conference, particularly Damascus international Fair, play a key role in finding good economic environments, adding that the Fair will witness a wide participation from Russian companies.

DAMASCUS- Under the chairmanship of Eng. Emad Khamis, the Prime Minister, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Electricity and discussed the executive steps of the state strategy to expand using renewable energy in all its forms.

The steps are focused on amending the legislation governing all renewable, solar and wind energies including manufacturing, production, investment, marketing and delivery within 15 days to be presented to the Cabinet for appropriate decision, as well as granting long term loans and incentives for the establishment of renewable energy production plants.

The steps include encouraging household holdings of renewable energies, reviving the solar heater loan, granting it to long-term citizens, developing the solar pump industry, and setting a plan for adopting solar energy in public bodies and schools and in the capacities used in agriculture such as pumps for agricultural wells and fuel stations.

The National Energy Research Center (NREC) was asked to develop a national strategy and incentives to expand the use of these energies and focus on the efficiency of the use of energies and revive the national plan for energy conservation and announce the launch of projects for partnership with the private sector in the field of renewable energies and attracting investors from home and abroad.

The Prime Minister stressed that the completion of a strategy for renewable energies is a major step to self-reliance and energy security in the face of the siege and sanctions on the Syrian people, pointing out the importance of its adoption to be a key input and contribute to secure the need of Syria's energy in the future.

In a statement to reporters after the meeting, the Director General of the Energy Research Center at the Ministry of Electricity, Dr. Younis Ali said that during the meeting, the focus was on modifying the renewable energy legislation to be more flexible and encouraging the private sector to implement projects in this field.

Sh. Kh.

DAMASCUS_ The second session of the International Exhibition of Laboratory Equipment, the manufacture and sale of the production lines Prodex 2019, was launched yesterday on the grounds of the exhibition city in Damascus.

The five-day exhibition was attended by about 45 Syrian and Chinese companies and agents of Japanese, Italian, German and Lebanese companies, displaying dozens of production lines, machinery, and factories.

The company's executive director Mohammed Al-Asawdeh said that the new session of the exhibition, which includes 45 companies, including 15 foreign companies through agencies and 5 Chinese companies, as well as 25 Syrian companies, offering the latest technology, machinery and equipment to repair what destroyed by the war including machines and production lines, which contributes to the modernization of the industrial sector and develop the competitiveness of its products and push the Syrian industry forward.

He called on the industrialists to visit the exhibition to see the latest industrial machines with a wide choice in this field and to discuss with the exhibitors and choose what suits their capabilities and the needs of their factories of the latest global technology.

The opening of the exhibition, organized by the even Gates Group in cooperation with the Syrian-Chinese Business Council, was attended by the Minister of Industry, Eng. Mohammad Maan Zain Al Abidine Jazbah, a number of members of chambers of industry and trade, the Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Damascus.

Sh. Kh.

Homs, (ST)- Sales of Homs Sugar Company amounted to about 2 billion and 147 million SP during the first half of this year from its products of sugar, yeast, soap, oil and alcohol.

The company's director, Eng. Abdo Al-Mahmoud, said that more than 11,000 tons of white sugar were produced from refining raw red sugar, pointing out that the plant is in a good working condition after it was restarted mid-May last year when it was forced to stop for about two years until the discharge of the company's entire stock of white sugar.

Mr. Al-Mahmoud stressed that the oil factory was operated during the months of March and April last year where 230 tons of raw sunflower oil were refined, resulting in 203 tons of refined sunflower oil filled in packages with a capacity of 16 kg.

He confirmed that a contract had been signed with one of the public bodies to sell all the refined quantities. He pointed out that the plant is currently discontinued cotton oil until the quantities of cotton seeds supplied to the company by Al-Waleed Factory.

 The company's director pointed out that during the mentioned period, 3192 tons of soft yeast were produced and supplied to the governorates of Homs, Tartous, Lattakia and Hama. In addition to 94 tons of soap were produced during the same period.

It is worth mentioning that Homs Sugar Company consists of four factories, namely: "sugar, yeast, alcohol and oil", one of the oldest companies of the public sector in Homs.

Amal Farhat - Homs