SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform

1. SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform National Agricultural Policy Center Tenth Five-Year-Plan2006-2010and the Strategic Role of Agriculture by Atieh El Hindi Director NAPC International Workshop, Damascus 1-2/7/2008

2. Introduction • 5-year-plan approach started in the 60s • Plans were designed in compliance with the general political, social, and economic orientations. • Before 1985, planning was central. • Starting from the 6th 5-year-plan (1986-1990) indicative planning was adopted. • The 10th 5-year-plan was designed according to the social market economy approach.

3. General objectives of the 5-year-plans • enhancing the contribution of the agricultural sector in the GDP • improving the living conditions and ensuring the supply of affordable food commodities • reducing the living standard gap between the rural and urban areas; • increasing self sufficiency in terms of main staples • enhancing integration between the agricultural sector and the other economic sectors; • Ensuring the supply of raw materials for local industries and of export surplus

4. actions taken before the design of the 10th 5-year-plan • Agricultural policy document endorsed by the cabinet. • Analysis of current situation (1992-2003). • Objectives: enhance strengths, avoid weaknesses, identify challenges.

5. :Analysis of the current situation indicated Main strengths: • Increase of the irrigated area • Achievement of self sufficiency in terms of strategic crops • Increase of agricultural production value by 5% • Increase of per capita share of food commodities • Development of rural infra structure • Development of agricultural services

6. Main weaknesses • Decreasing fertility • Shortage of underground water accompanied with low conversion to modern irrigation systems • Deterioration of natural grazing areas in Al Badia • Holding fragmentation • Incompatibility of applied rules and regulations • Mismatch between the marketing and export activities and the production increase.

7. Challenges facing the agricultural sector • Limited natural resources. • Rapid growth rate. • Land fragmentation. • Limited financial resources. • Fragmentation of responsibilities. • Subsidies offered by the main producing countries. • Macroeconomic policies problems.

8. General objectives of the 10th five-year-plan • Development of agricultural production and increase of economic growth rates • plant production increase and provision of inputs • Livestock production increase and provision of inputs • Promotion of vertical development and cost reduction • Improvement of natural resources use • Land management improved programmes • Irrigation water management and conservation • Natural pastors management improvement • Forest development, investment and conservation

9. Development of agricultural marketing and processing • Development of local and external marketing • Enhancement of agricultural processing • Motivating local and foreign investment in agricultural marketing and processing • Modernization of production means and technology transfer • Design clear agricultural research strategy • Enhance the role of extension and supply required inputs • Improve agricultural education • Training of human resources

10. Development of the banking and credit system • Review credit policies • Improve credit processing • Enhance the use of credits for modern technology transfer • Timely provision of good quality inputs • Allowing all sector to contribute to input provision and maintain the state control role.

11. Adoption of price policies • Maintain central pricing of strategic crops according to their importance for food security and export. • Price new feasible crops to promote their production. • Design practical agricultural subsidy programme • Adopt structural changes capable of meeting modernization requirements • Restructure agriculture-related institutions • Issue or modify agricultural legislation • Enhance cooperation with Arab, regional and international organization

12. investments allocated to achieve above mentioned objectives • Investment plan defined • Service and development projects designed • Allocations for agriculture and irrigation are as follows:

13. Projects that have allocations in the 10th 5-year-plan - MAARUnit: million SP

14. Projects that have allocations in the 10th 5-year-plan - Ministry of IrrigationUnit: million SP

15. Vision of the Strategic Role of Agriculture • Due to the importance of the agriculture strategic role in the provision of food and its contribution to GDP, its role will be enhanced by: • Review of the 10th 5-year-plan and assess its implementation • Start the design of 2025 strategy with the support of UNDP according to the following indicators:

16. Optimal use of natural resources, sustainability, participatory approach. • Achieving food security and production according to comparative advantage and competitive advantage. • Achieve economic growth rates that exceed population growth rates. • Achieve an agricultural export surplus that meets international specifications. • Create appropriate agricultural production and processing investment environment. • Plant less water consuming and more feasible crops. • Enhance rural income generation activities. • Activate agricultural research, extension and education. • Fund development and production investments. • Enforce capacity building. • Achieve compliance between local legislation and international trends.

17. Thank you