Syrian Green Corridor to Develop Agricultural Exports

DAMASCUS, (ST)- Syrian agricultural trade has suffered from the circumstances of the current crisis, where the volume of agricultural exports began to decline in 2011 by 41 percent and the volume of agricultural imports by 15 percent to testify in the next two years, the biggest decline, which affected the agricultural export of as  a result of the current conditions

Proceeding from this fact, the need to make use of the sea as a means emerged to transport agricultural goods in the Syrian coast, especially those goods suffer from marketing bottlenecks, so that the National Center for Agricultural Policy affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture suggested finding a Syrian agricultural corridor east to meet the demand in eastern markets for Syrian agricultural products.

Among the various methods for maritime transport, Head of the Department of Commerce Center Eng. Mahmoud Babilly referred to the transfer method named / roll to / roll from / where large ships are used to load trucks with wheels and unlike other ships, this method has the advantage of the rise of trucks carrying agricultural commodities to the deck and then reached the destination.

There is the A similar Arab successful experience was carried out in this area, the experience of the Green Corridor 2002, which was implemented between Egypt and the European Union in the form of a project funded by a European since resulted in the project a significant increase of Egyptian exports including fruits and vegetables to Italy and across Italy to Europe and this is what enhances the possibility of applying such a project in other Mediterranean countries.

Mr. Babilly clarified that the idea of creating a Syrian green sea corridor connecting Syrian ports with Eastern friendly States, allowing the export of Syrian agricultural commodities easily, the study provides a practical proposal to link the port of Lattakia with Russian Novorossiysk port by green Corridor and in case of adopting this project by the authorities concerned other donors have to contribute funding and implementing this project..

“A systematic and scientific ways have been adopted to make sure the positive results of the green sea corridor project and concluded that there is ” a strong moral presence to raise the levels of the Syrian agricultural exports to countries that have beaches and ports,” Eng. Babilly explained.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Transport indicate to the presence of a range of agricultural commodities that are being trafficking via maritime transport and by the General Company of Tartous Port, the most important agricultural commodities imported through the port are bananas, olive oil, apples and pistachios. As the lists of Tartous port indicate to the to the import of different amounts of cereals and their derivatives, rice, sugar, food, wood and other export quantities of grain, cotton and foodstuff.

The data of Lattakia port demonstrates the export of wheat, seeds, cereals, pulses, tobacco, cotton and leather, as well as other items and import grain and its derivatives, sugar, rice, food, wood and a variety of other items.

In preparation for such a sea line, the study to discuss the concept of the establishment of sea villages of shipping, which is a unified complex to services and facilities of transport and shipping of goods, including warehouses and refrigerated storage facilities, packaging and packing, sorting, in coordination with the concerned authorities as customs and harbors, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, the ministries of economy, trade, industry, health, transport and interior. Eng. Babilly added.

The establishment of the villages of shipping in Syria will be of great  benefits, according to Eng. Babilly, in supporting the movement of import and export, to facilitate transactions and shipping procedures related to these activities, the establishment of a complex includes warehouse with latest technology and secure precise high shipping facilities to meet customer requirements and support the growth and development of commercial and industrial activities in Syria and strengthen its role as a transit strategic site in the Middle East by attracting regional attraction offices for international companies and attract capital and investors, Eng. Babilly explained.

 “The establishment of the villages of shipping in Syria faces challenges most notably the presence of strong shipping villages that compete in the Arab region and the small size of the fleet of maritime transport, lack of efficiency and the need to obtain a large number of licenses from the government, the drafting of resolutions and issuing legislation and laws to set up villages of shipping, organizing the transport sector and shipping in Syria to become a world-class and the lack of adequate funding or investment in addition to the establishment of new ports, expanding existing harbors, and increasing capacity available for the transport of goods imported and exported,” Eng. Babilly commented.

The success of the sea corridor requires developing Syrian naval fleet to be ready to contribute to the development of Syrian sea agricultural exports and the work on establishing fixed  marine lines linking the ports of Lattakia and Tartous with the ports of the partner countries commercially especially eastern countries and work to secure the necessary funding and planning to set up sea villages of shipping close to the ports of Lattakia and Tartous in order to facilitate the packaging of the exported goods within the cargo Village and work to establish a new agricultural export projects.

Sharif al -Khatib