Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Hasaka, SANA- Over the past two years, the production of the agricultural sector in Hasaka province has witnessed a notable abundance which has led to a large supply that exceeds the ability of the local market in the province to sell out that huge amounts of production and there haven’t been a possibility to reach the markets in the other provinces due to the terrorist acts which had led to cutting off the land roads.
In parallel with restoring security and safety to Hasaka-Aleppo International Highway and opening it again for traffic and goods from and to the provinces, peasants and grain merchants that the market of these crops will witness a gradual improvement and the surplus will be sold out in a way that would reflect positively on the availability of these products with suitable prices.
Director of Agriculture Department Rajab Salameh said in a statement to SANA that over the past and the current season, the province has witnessed two good agricultural seasons which has led to an abundance in the production of the strategic and the minor crops such as the wheat, barley, legumes and the medical and aromatic crops, and others
Salameh indicated that a part of the wheat and wheat crops was bought by the Syrian Public Establishment for Grain and the branch of the General Establishment for Fodder and the other part remained with the peasants and it hasn’t been sold out, while the crops of legumes, and the medical and aromatic crops are being merchandised at the local markets at which the prices are high and it decreases according to the supply and demand.
He noted that reopening Aleppo-Hasaka International Highway has revived the hope to the peasants and dealers of grains and agricultural products that the reality of marketing their products will improve as they will be able to sell out their products at the markets in the other provinces.
Salameh added that the province has a surplus of barely crop which is estimated at about 400 thousand tons and 100 thousand tons of hay which is used as a fodder for animals, in addition to large amounts of legumes such as lentils and the aromatic and medical products such as the cumin.
Head of the Agricultural Production Directorate at Agriculture Ministry, Jalal Bilal said in a similar statement that reopening the highway will push the economic wheel the province forwards and will facilitate the flow of goods and products from and into Hasaka.
Bilal added that a portion of the production of the peasants of different crops which has been produced throughout the past and the current year hasn’t been sold out and a new season will begin soon in the province through which wide areas of agricultural lands are cultivated with different kinds of crops, thereby, opening the highway has revived the farmers’ hope that they will be able to merchandise all of their production with reasonable prices.
A number of farmers, for their part, expressed hope that reopening the highway will contribute to the receipt of their entire production of wheat and barley crops by the relevant governmental bodies and to the return of traders from different Syrian provinces to the markets of Hasaka province to buy their agricultural products, and contribute to uplifting the economic and agricultural realities in Hasaka to return as it used to be, Syria’s food basket and the basis of its food security.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
