Production of wheat, barley declines due to climate fluctuations in al-Jazeera

NOURI OMAR / QAMISHLO

Al-Jazeera region and North Syria in general have witnessed dry winter, while the beginning of the month of May, an orographic depression lasted for two weeks, accompanied by heavy rain and thunderstorms, which led to the formation of floods between the agricultural land and residential areas in all villages, towns and cities of al-Jazeera region which negatively affected agricultural crops, especially cereals.

With heavy rains accompanied by strong wind, the green wheat and barley’s spikes to twist causing fracture of the stems that entered the stage of growth of grains, thus obstacle harvest.

At the end of last year, in a move to help farmers, Agriculture Directorate and Livestock of the Economic Body in al-Jazeera region provided them with wheat, barley and seeds by debt.

According to the administrator in Agriculture Directorate and Livestock of Economic Body in al-Jazeera region Ahmed Suleiman said that "the proportion of damage to the barley crop amounted to 70 percent, while the proportion of damage to wheat crop 55 percent, due to climate fluctuations."

Suleiman pointed out that the land planted in al-Jazeera region amounted to 90 percent, adding “The land planted with wheat and barley is estimated at 50 percent and pulses 25 percent, and cotton and vegetables reached 15 percent."

Suleiman noted out that they have decided to help farmers affected by this year by postponing the payment of farmers' debts to the fertilizer and seeds they received from the agricultural centers in the towns and cities of al-Jazeera region during this year to the season next year.

On the process of harvesting the wheat and barley crops, Ahmed Suleiman confirmed that they set the wages of the work of agricultural harvesters before starting work, in coordination with the Union of farmers and harvesters, and they secured the fuel oil for all harvesters in order to continue harvesting wheat and barley until the end of the season, and prepared and warehouses in preparation for the purchase of wheat from farmers, and set the price of 175,000 S.P. per ton for the first type of wheat.

(T/S)

ANHA