Damascus, SANA- Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), held a preparatory workshop on Sunday to lay the foundations for the ministry’s strategic plan.
The event, hosted at the Sham Hotel in Damascus, saw the participation of representatives from Arab organizations, local and governmental bodies, as well as international entities.
In a speech during the workshop, Dr. Mohammad Taha Ahmad, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, emphasized that the current phase requires concerted efforts and unified visions to come up with a forward-looking strategy capable of advancing the agricultural sector and achieving sustainable development to build a new Syria.
Dr. Ahmad tackled the challenges such as high production costs, weak infrastructure, and poor marketing and agricultural guidance services. He noted that the workshop aims to turn these current challenges into sustainable opportunities to build a robust agricultural sector that supports economic and social development.
FAO Resident Representative, Tony Attal, expressed the organization’s readiness to support the Ministry of Agriculture and collaborate towards formulating a strategic vision that addresses current needs in Syria. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among all relevant partners and the pooling of expertise and efforts.
Attal highlighted the need to update policies and plans based on modern data, establish market-oriented agricultural cooperatives, foster partnerships with the private sector, and build the capacities of agricultural workers to empower them to face climate changes.
During the workshop, Eng. Bassam al-Hussain, Director of International Cooperation at the ministry, outlined the overall objectives of the event, stressing its importance in supporting the agricultural sector, evaluating the current situation, identifying challenges and issues, and drafting a roadmap for strategic formulation.
In a relevant remark, Prof. Ibrahim El Dukhiri, Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) addressed agricultural development and its role in setting strategies for aquaculture, pastures, and livestock.
El Dukhiri discussed the state of agricultural and food systems in countries affected by instability and conflict, asserting that strategies should be built upon resources and focus on work systems.
Dr. Fadi Jaber, Secretary-General of the Arab Federation for Food Industries, in a statement to SANA, stressed the need to establish comprehensive infrastructure systems and a complete food chain to develop the industry in both the animal and plant sectors, achieve food safety, and bring Syrian products to high-quality standards, with support from the federation experts and consultants.
Several working sessions were held to discuss the current state of the agricultural sector in Syria (opportunities, challenges, priorities), and its problems, and to determine strategic goals, challenges, and risks, as well as possible solutions and the implementation timeline.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
