Syria, international organizations to discuss the results of the development village initiative in Qarat Al-Rayhan

Damascus, (ST) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform discussed with representatives of international and Arab organizations working in Syria and the relevant authorities that participated in the launching of the development village initiative, “Together We Build a Dream” in the village of Qarat Al-Rayhan in the Al-Ghab area of ​​Hama. The results of this initiative so far and its continued support and consultation to launch other initiatives in the rest of the governorates.

The Minister of Agriculture, Eng. Mohamed Hassan Qatana referred to the role of the parties that participated in the initiative launched in mid-April. He stressed the need for cooperation and coordination to propose and support other initiatives based on international experiences in rural development in all fields.

The minister touched on the importance of international and Arab organizations’ support for development projects in the Syrian countryside to work together to improve the situation of rural families and raise the efficiency of agricultural work.

Minister Qatana pointed out that, the ministry relied on the local community in the development villages and started in the village of Qarat Al-Rayhan in the Al-Ghab region since 2021, and many climatic, topographical and economic studies have been prepared to invest local resources in agricultural plant and animal production.

The Director-General of the Arab Center for Studies of Dry Areas and Arid Lands, (ACSAD), Dr. Nasr El-Din Al-Obeid affirmed that the Qarat Al-Rayhan project is a success story in improving the income and settlement of the population and achieving income for rural women.

In turn, the Director of the FAO Organization Office in Damascus, Mike Robson, expressed the organization’s readiness to provide support to rural projects and to work with the Syrian government and international and Arab organizations to improve the living conditions of rural families and to popularize the experience of the village of ” Qarat Al-Rayhan “.

The Director of the Cooperative Agricultural Bank, Ibrahim Zaidan stressed that the model proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the village of “Qarat Al-Rayhan” is a successful model and worthy of attention for the development of the village and the region as a whole. He pointed out that the Agricultural Bank provides loans to micro and small projects and is ready to provide support for any project aimed at real production with soft guarantees in agreement with Loan Guarantee Establishment.

Raghda Sawas