Syria’s AANES increases quantities of diesel for farmers
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, an official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said that they have decided to increase the quantities of diesel allocated to agricultural lands due to lack of rainfall.
As March is about to end, the hopes of most farmers in Jazira region have begun to fade as a result of a little amount of rain, threatening to lose the agricultural season.
“We decided to increase the quantities of diesel because of the lack of rainfall and to avoid damaging the agricultural season,” Abdulsalam Abbas, official in the Petroleum Directorate in the Jazira region of the AANES, told North Press.
The Jazira region has witnessed a remarkable decline in the agricultural production after the Syrian war, while it was contributing to wheat production by more than 60% of the Syrian GDP.
“We have decided to increase the quantities of diesel allocated for the year from 15 to 20 liters per dunum for the shallow wells, and from 25 to 35 liters for the offshore wells,” he added.
Abbas pointed out that “this step is sufficient to fill the vacuum created by the lack of rainfall, as there is still a chance of saving the agricultural season if it is well irrigated.”
In a report issued in September 2019, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated Syrian wheat production at 2.2 million tons, while before the war it had reached 4.1 million tons.