Damascus, July 6 (SANA)Syria signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with twoUAEcompanies on Monday to launch a joint agricultural initiative aimed at strengtheningfood security, expandingagricultural exportsand promoting sustainable farming.

The agreement, signed by Minister of Agriculture Basel al-Suwaidan with Mair Group and NVSSoft for Agricultural Technologies and Services, seeks to develop integrated agricultural value chains, increase farmers’ incomes and accelerate the adoption of contract farming, digital transformation and modern agricultural technologies.

The initiative will establish an integrated agricultural system covering production planning, financing, technical support, crop collection, grading, packaging, cold storage, domestic marketing and regional and international exports. It also includes the development of a digital platform and digital financing services to support farmers and improve agricultural value chains.

Khaled Al-Saeedi, director of government communication at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the project will enable Syrian farmers to export fruit and vegetables directly to the United Arab Emirates through a transit route via Iraq, eliminating intermediaries, reducing delivery times and increasing producers’ returns.

Nehayan Alameri, chief executive officer of Mair Group, said four agricultural processing centers will be established across Syria’s coastal, central, southern and eastern regions to prepare locally produced fruit and vegetables for export.

Mohammad Samer Al-Suyouti, representing NVSSoft, said the company will develop a digital platform to collect and analyze agricultural data, expand contract farming and improve supply chain efficiency from farms to international markets.

The agreement forms part of broader Syrian-UAE efforts to expand agricultural investment, strengthen food security and deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.