The Agriculture Directorate in Tartous Governorate has begun implementing the  adopted reforestation plan  for this year, which targets areas that have been exposed to fires. 

Agronomist  Hassan Nassif, Head of the Forestry Department at   Agriculture Directorate in Tartous told SANA that reforestation plan  began in various regions of the governorate, including Mashta al-Hilu and Sheikh Badr with the participation of a number of government bodies  and NGOs in the governorate with the aim of rebuilding and preserving the vegetation cover. 

He  pointed  out that new kinds  were introduced this year, such as fruit forest trees and alpine trees, due to the great benefits they enjoy in addition to the well-known varieties such as pine, laurel and carob. 

Saffron popularly known as Kesar in Hindi has been one of the oldest herbs known to man kind . It  is The most famous and oldest types of spices around the world , and it is a treasure trove.

Saffron is the most valuable medicinal food product because of its importance in the world’s economy.  This spice was used by several civilizations for its importance in pharmaceutics, cosmetic, perfumery and textile dye-producing industries.

Saffron , which is  called red gold, has  become a promising cultivation in various regions of Syria after the success of experiments that yielded good results that matched the best types of saffron produced worldwide.

SANA visited the saffron fields in Sarghaya and Al-Zabadani in Damascus countryside and reviewed the developments of cultivating saffron  in terms of  number of flowers, the production and quality of stems,  methods of cultivation  and how to spread it  in order to become  a promising  cultivation of strategic crops and so a new economic resource for people with limited incomes  and poor families.

Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Dr. Louai Aslan confirmed  to SANA that the ministry seeks to develop and spread aromatic crops with economic returns on a large scale.

As a continuation of the campaign “ with love we build it”, which was launched  in 2018 by  the Syrian  youth of" love and peace"  team  , the volunteers of the team have  planted about 3,000  forest saplings  in the fire-affected area in Baloran village  in  Lattakia countryside, which was  severely damaged by fires recently..

The team leader Anwar Muhammad  said in a statement to SANA  “ volunteers from provinces of Al- Hasaka, Daraa, Homs,  Lattakia  and  Damascus countryside participated in the two-days  event ”.

Homs,(ST) - Al-Arida Forestry Nursery production in TalKalakh area in Homs countryside has nurtured 250 thousand various forest saplings in the current winter season and they are ready for distribution to the fire-affected areas in the governorate.

Engineer Yousef Shaqouf, director of the nursery, said to SANA that the nursery is ready to distribute the plants to the areas that were recently hit by the fires, especially the Nassera Forestry Project in the Wadi Al-Nasarah area in Homs countryside, where the forest wealth was severely damaged because of the fires.

Fires are among the most severe and dangerous environmental disasters that fruit trees meadows and forest areas might be exposed to .Therefore, due to the severity of the fires that attacked Lattakia Governorate last month, large numbers (103 fires) in total, and environmental and substantial losses; the Agricultural Scientific Research Center (ASR) held a field workshop in this regards. The workshop was held  in coordination with the Directorate of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Lattakia (Agricultural Extension Dep.), the Union of Agricultural Engineers in Lattakia, and the Union of Agricultural Development Workers under the title:"Technical management of burnt fields of citrus and olive's trees;basics of rehabilitating forest sites".

Dr. Muhammad Salhab, emphasized the significant role of agricultural research to transmit technical and scientific information on how to deal with burnt olive and citrus fields through specialized cadres. In addition, to the importance of studies related to burned forest like: forest area, plant types, percentage of damage, soil type. He also emphasized the importance of joined efforts of the numerous investors to rehabilitate affected properties and lands.