Syrian official asks more quake-aid, agriculture support from UN
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Mohammed Qatana, Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, said on Friday that they asked the directors of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Food Program (WFP), to increase aid sent to the earthquake-affected population and support the agricultural sector.
The minister stated to a local radio station that WFP allocated $27 million to support rescue operations in Syria, whereas FAO presented three projects and IFAD provided $10 million.
On Feb. 6, a devastating earthquake hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, killing about 50.000 and injuring many more, in addition to devastating thousands of buildings under which thousands were trapped.
Qatana noted that farming spaces did not sustain damages following the earthquake. However, heavy rainstorms accompanied the earthquake in some areas like Tartus Governorate and destroyed more than 1.500 greenhouses.
Since the earthquake, European and Arab states sent aid to affected people. Days earlier, Syrian Ministry of Transport announced the arrival of 200 planes carrying relief aid to Damascus, Aleppo, and Latakia airports.
On Friday, the state-run SANA news agency reported that new Egyptian ships headed to Syrian and Turkish seaports carrying relief items for the earthquake-affected.