Damascus – The Syrian government has given priority to the development of agriculture, with the aim of ensuring the country’s self-sufficiency in food. The information was disclosed this Wednesday (22nd) by the Syrian prime minister, Mohammad Naji Otri, to the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce , Salim Taufic Schahin, during a meeting in Damascus.
“This is a political objective because, if we achieve it, then ours will be an easier situation,” Otri told Schahin, who was accompanied by the Brazilian ambassador to Syria, Edgard Casciano, and the director of the Arab Brazilian chamber, Sami Roumieh. The Syrian minister of Expatriates, Joseph Sweed, also attended the meeting.
The prime minister asserted that the country was recently faced with serious drought and that it must modernize its production. “Water is a key issue here, it is scarce and we want to improve our lands,” he stated.
In that respect, Schahin said that Brazil is very strong in the field and possesses advanced technology, mostly developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). In his opinion, Brazil can help Syria in this area.
As an example, he mentioned the development of seeds, planting and irrigation techniques adapted to the semiarid weather of the Brazilian Northeast. In some areas in the region, the level of agricultural productivity is now among the highest in the world.
Otri declared, however, that there is no immediate danger of a food shortage in Syria because, according to him, the country has strategic inventories which, if needed, may last up to one and a half year. The prime minister stated that after a serious drought two years ago, the crop was good this year.
In the case of certain products, according to Otri, Syria even has a surplus, as is the case with fruit and vegetables. Production of those items totals one million tonnes per year. He claimed, however, that the country needs to find more adequate ways of exporting these goods and generate revenues from them. “The government is concerned with how to export these products,” he said.
The prime minister also cited the example of olives. According to him, the country has 85 million olive trees and is the world’s fourth largest producer, competing with Tunisia. Otri stated that in order to encourage agriculture, the government buys farmers’ output for as much as nearly twice the international market price, a measure which, according to him, guarantees that planting will continue even at times when prices are low.
Agricultural technology is also developed locally. Otri said that Syria has developed, by its own means, naturally colourful varieties of cotton, whose yarns may be dyed without using paint. A similar variety was created in Brazil by the Embrapa and is planted precisely in the Northeast region. He explained that the product represents an important differential in a world with a growing demand for natural products.
To Schahin, a project for technological cooperation between Brazil and Syria in the agricultural area would be “excellent”. Otri added that his government is also interested in learning more about Brazilian production of ethanol to be used as fuel. “We must stop and analyze what is being done, and Brazil is in a leadership position in this area,” he declared.
Diversification
Oil exports account for a significant share of revenues in Syria, and there is a concern in the country regarding the development of other sectors of the economy. Earlier this Wednesday, the Syrian minister of Economy, Amer Lutfi, told Schahin that production of the commodity has dropped from around 400,000 barrels per day to 360,000. “We are exporting less derivatives and importing more,” he said. “We export crude oil and import derivatives, our trade balance [in the sector] runs a deficit,” he added.
Otri said, however, that there is progress in other fields, such as industry. According to him, in the last five years, four industrial zones were created, with 1,700 hectares each, housing 3,000 factories. More recently, the banking system, previously wholly controlled by the state, has also been opened to the private initiative.
To Otri, the economic opening, coupled with the lack of foreign debt, has enabled the country to grow by an average 5.5% per year, despite the economic sanctions imposed by the United States during the administration of former president George W. Bush.
Currently in Syria, there is much expectation regarding the future of relations with the United States, as president Barack Obama has adopted a friendlier stance, and even decided to appoint a new United States ambassador to Damascus. Since 2005, a chargés d’affaires is in charge of the United States embassy.
“In the past, it has been said that Syria was the problem in the Middle East. Now, in the very room we are in, it has been said that Syria is the solution,” said Otri, referring to recent visits by authorities from the United States to the country.
During his meetings with four Syrian ministers this Wednesday, Schahin reiterated the invitation made by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for his Syrian colleague, Bashar Al Assad, to visit Brazil. The message was conveyed by request of the Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim, during a meeting with Schahin last Friday in the Brazilian capital Brasília.
The Syrian minister of Information, Mohsen Bilal, who also received Schahin, said that a presidential visit to several Latin American countries, including Brazil, is being planned for two years now, but has not occurred yet due to various reasons. He added that he expects for the visit to happen soon.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
