Prospective Vision of Agricultural Sector

 DAMASCUS, (ST) – Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Ahmed Qadri, and concerned officials at the ministry in the presence of Minister of Water Resources, Eng. Bassam Hanna, Chairman of the General Federation of Peasants, Hammad al -Saud recently discussed the agricultural productivity plan of the agricultural season 2013/2014, the objectives and the future vision for the agricultural sector.

 “The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors of the national economy because of its role in ensuring food security as well as to contribute in advancing economic growth, its social reflections and supply of non-agricultural sectors and job creation, pointing out to the need to improve working conditions in the exceptional circumstances experienced by the country and alleviate the suffering of the farmer,” Mr. Qadri said.

“The objectives of the agricultural plan is to achieve food security, ensure the national consumption of food commodities and the sustainability of natural resources and economic investment and preserving them from deterioration, depletion and poverty reduction by the comprehensive rural development, expanding the role of the banking system in the finance and insurance and expanding agricultural products, stressing that the ministry has taken some actions that will help farmers to get on agricultural related items,” the minister clarified.

 The minister pointed to the need to achieve a surplus in agricultural production in good and appropriate quality for domestic consumption or for export and provide a favorable environment to encourage investment or agricultural industrialization to increase the rent and the introduction of alternative agriculture as much as possible with economic returns and activating the role of guidance in the transfer of scientific research results to farmers and vice versa to solve their problems.

For his part, Minister of Water Resources, Eng. Bassam Hanna, pointed out to the importance of the partnership between the ministry and the ministries of agriculture and electricity to keep up with population growth, the adoption of indicative planning, the development of private investment in the agricultural field to get to ensure food security, stressing that any defect in water resources will reflect negatively on agricultural production.

The Minister noted the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and peasants in ensuring the requirements for citizens through the exceptional circumstances experienced by the unfair economic sanctions against the Syrian people calling for the need for concerted efforts to rationalize the use of water, which is a national duty.

For his Part, , chairman of the Peasants Federation underlined the need to ensure the equipment of agricultural production according to their needs as soon as possible, support agriculture, increase production and achieve food security, pointing out that the implementation of the agricultural plan is everyone’s responsibility.

Director of Planning and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Haitham Al –Ashkar, reviewed the most important challenges facing the implementation of the plan of production both its agricultural and livestock production and reclamation projects of rural development, in addition to measures taken by the ministry to alleviate the impact of the challenges, showing the large losses suffered by the agriculture sector.

The conferees concluded to several recommendations with respect to the plan including the support of the agricultural sector so as to enhance its competitiveness and contribute to the development and provision of food security and the emphasis on the application of the laws that protect natural resources, re-introduction of incentives in productive projects to raise the work efficiency, the adoption of the comparative advantage of agricultural production areas with the conservation of natural resources and the economic and social aspects of economic and setting economic priorities for the production of agricultural crops.

They also pointed to the need to increase production for each crop by using an integrated package of inputs and ensure production requirements through the public and private sectors in the quantities and the appropriate times and the search for alternatives of high economic rents and development of agricultural research, guidance, education, rehabilitation, resettlement of modern technologies, amending some laws and legislations, increasing private investment in irrigation sector, accelerating the implementation of government irrigation projects, encouraging the establishment of companies and institutions in all sectors of marketing to increase marketing opportunities and to give greater importance to livestock production and ensuring alternative employment opportunities supporting the agricultural income, especially in cases of disasters.

Sharif el -Khatib