The Al-Ghab area in the countryside of Hama is witnessing an expansion in protected agriculture, known as greenhouses, as an additional source of income and an opportunity to increase agricultural production, amid calls to provide production inputs and heating means necessary to protect crops from frost, especially in light of rising costs of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals.
The Director General of the General Authority for the Management and Development of Al-Ghab, Engineer Abdul Aziz Al-Qasim, stated in an interview with SANA on Monday that the Authority pays attention to protected agriculture due to its contribution to increasing production and improving the utilization of agricultural land, noting that cultivation is carried out according to the hall system, with each hall covering approximately 0.2 hectares, and pointing out that this system is considered one of the first experiments of its kind in Syria.
Al-Qasim explained that the total number of plastic halls within the Authority's operational area reached 59 halls, with a total area of 11.16 hectares, of which 56 halls have entered the investment and production stage, covering an area of approximately 10.7 hectares, representing the largest proportion of the total cultivated areas under this system.
Al-Qasim noted that protected agriculture allows for extending the agricultural season and producing outside traditional seasons, providing diverse products for markets, as well as increasing farmers' income and creating additional job opportunities. He confirmed that the Authority has a plan for gradual expansion of cultivated areas after evaluating the results of the first season, ensuring the suitability of varieties to the Al-Ghab environment and achieving good productivity and economic viability.
For his part, farmer Abdul Karim Al-Hasan from Al-Jabin village explained that he gained experience in protected agriculture during his long work period in Turkey, and began applying what he learned in his village by cultivating seven dunums with various crops, especially cucumbers and tomatoes, with aspirations to expand his experience and introduce new crops.
Al-Hasan pointed out that the rising prices of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, in addition to frost waves threatening planted crops in winter, are among the main difficulties facing farmers, as protecting crops requires installing heating systems that increase production costs. He called on government authorities to support the experiment and provide its inputs, which would help expand it, increase its spread, and enhance its contribution to the national economy.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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