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QATAR Fund for Development (QFFD) has announced reaching an advanced stage with its project to support activities in the northern region of Sahel Al Rouj, with a budget of USD 176,317 of the total approved budget of USD 546,777.
In a statement on Tuesday, QFFD stated that the implementation of the project, which started in January 2017, will continue until the end of March this year. This project is being carried out by the Qatari Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and is a continuation of the joint efforts of the two parties to mitigate the impact of the Syrian crisis which has been going on for more than six years.
Sahel Al Rouj is one of the most important plains in the north of Syria and is a major food source, as well as a source of income for tens of thousands of families there. Therefore, one of the main reasons for the project is the weak agricultural productivity in these areas. Incidents in Syria in recent years have resulted in poor agricultural production, farmers are forced to rely on low-productivity rain-fed agriculture or individual artisan wells, resulting in high agricultural costs and the reluctance of many to abandon their lands or rely on relief assistance, which led to a sharp decline in agricultural production.
The project targets the restoration of a five-km-long concrete irrigation channel, the rehabilitation of existing power stations, the provision of well accessories, the supply of two generators to operate the pumps, the provision of a 525 m3/ h pump and the fuel required to support supplementary wheat crop irrigation.
Executive Director of the Projects Department at QFFD Masfar al Shahwani said the vital development project provides food support through the provision of agricultural materials, as well as self-sufficiency for a large number of families who relied on food aid, and contribute to the provision of basic foodstuffs in the domestic market, adding that the project achieves more than one goal at the same time.
For his part, the Secretary-General of QRCS Ali bin Hassan al Hammadi said:"Owing to the significant role played by agriculture in Syria and its economic importance in Sahel Al Rouj, which comprises 50 villages in Idlib Governorate, QFFD has financed the collective irrigation project in this plain, which aims at enabling 5,200 farmers' families to return and to improve the productivity of wheat in the area unit. The project achieves wheat consumption for more than 13,000 people a year. It also creates jobs that help farmers to stay in their land."
Hammadi also pointed out that the QRCS supervises the implementation of the project on the ground and follow up all the technical activities it needs."About 700 hectares can meet the needs of 13,000 people a year with wheat and the estimated number of beneficiaries can reach up to 28,000 with 55 percent of them children." (QNA)
