Syria
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| AGRICULTURE |
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In Syria, priority is given to the agriculture sector ; this led to the implementation of projects of irrigation on the Oronte and Euphrate rivers and the grant of significant payments to farmers. This decision caused an increase of the agricultural production and the achievement of the food self-sufficiency for many strategic crops like wheat, olive, cotton and fruits.
In 1998, the surface of arable lands covered 5.1 million hectares which represent 32% of the territory. The irrigated lands cover 1.7 million hectares which represent 30% of arable lands. The production of cotton increased by a 55% (1.1 million tons against 0.7 millions previously). But the productions of wheat and barley dropped because of weak seasonal precipitation in 1997.
Agricultural population (in thousands)
Total population
18 223
Agricultural population
4 771
Non agricultural population
13 452
Source : 2004, FAOSTAT
Land use
Cultivated surface area
13 824 000
Irrigated surface area
1 333 000
Number of farms
n.c.
Number of tractors
106 745
Source : 2003, FAOSTAT
Production indicators
Main crops
| Product | Production (in thousands) | Harvested surface (1000 ha) | Yield by hectare (kg/ha) |
| Wheat | 4669 | 1905 | 2450 |
| Sugar beet | 1150 | 25 | 46000 |
| Tomatoes | 946 | 15 | 64760 |
| Barley | 767 | 1326 | 579 |
| Olives | 620 | 500 | 1240 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Livestock
| Specie | Headcount (in thousands) |
| Chickens | 23795 |
| Sheep | 19651 |
| Goats | 1296 |
| Cattle | 1083 |
| Beehives | 393 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Fishing (in metric tons)
| Shellfish, mollusks and cephalopods | Saltwater fish | Freshwater fish |
| 343 | 3 334 | 13 303 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT