The Minister of Agriculture in the interim government of Damascus, Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad, announced the decline of the agricultural sector’s contribution to Syria’s GDP to 12%, with labor contribution down to 15%.
Al-Ahmad attributed the decline to weak agricultural investments and the destruction of infrastructure, primarily government irrigation projects.
The percentage of irrigated cultivated areas, which previously represented around 35% of agricultural land, has decreased due to the “destruction and looting” of private irrigation projects, according to the Syrian minister’s statements to CNBC Arabia on Monday, January 27.
Al-Ahmad explained that the agricultural sector used to contribute between 30% to 35% of the total GDP in 2009 and 2010 before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution and employed more than 30% of the workforce, whereas the current figure is now 15%.
He stated that Syria’s wheat stock was sufficient for five years of local market needs, without clarifying the current stock.
He added that the annual wheat needs in Syria total three million tons for all its uses, from bread to all related industries.
According to the minister, Syria needs 800,000 hectares of land, a third of which should be irrigated and the remaining rain-fed, to cover the needs of the Syrian people for wheat.
Al-Ahmad suggested that this production can be achieved through modern irrigation techniques, better seed units, and adhering to the fertilization equations specified by the Ministry of Irrigation’s soil and land laboratories.
The minister also announced a plan to export certain crops like pistachios, citrus fruits, and animal products, after transitioning from “relative advantage” to “competitive advantage,” reducing production costs and increasing productivity.
According to al-Ahmad’s statements, the ministry intends to establish partnerships with international organizations and the European Union.
On another note, the ministry has developed a plan to collect data accurately and periodically announce statistics related to the sector, clarifying that most of the figures released during the previous regime were not accurate due to a lack of human resources.
The minister stated that the percentage of arable land in Syria is about six million hectares, and the ministry can invest around one to one and a half million hectares to support the sector.
The agricultural sector in Syria has witnessed a noticeable decline since the Syrian revolution due to military operations and the division of Syrian geography into areas of control by various factions.
Vast green spaces have been destroyed as a result of the long war, turning into barren land for several reasons, the most significant of which are deforestation and fires, in addition to government neglect and the migration of farmers.