Damascus, Aug. 2 (SANA)Agriculture Minister Basil al-Suwaidan met on Sunday with Stephan Sakalian, Head of Mission of theInternational Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) in Syria, to discuss the state of the agricultural sector and ways to enhance cooperation to support farmers affected in previous years.

Al-Suwaidan said theagricultural sectorsuffered significant damage during the years of the revolution, as the deposed regime cut down trees, dug trenches and caused large numbers of farmers to abandon their land, negatively impacting agricultural production.

The ministry has worked over the past period to rehabilitate vast areas of land and return them to production by removing dirt barricades andlandminesand securing the return of farmers to their villages to resume agricultural activity, he said.

Rehabilitation, distribution of saplings

The minister noted that the ministry has distributed saplings to areas where fruit trees were cut down and destroyed, to compensate for part of the losses and restore life to damaged agricultural areas.

He stressed the importance of rehabilitating agricultural infrastructure to enable displaced persons to return to their villages, calling for support to farmers through funding for modern irrigation networks, developing farming methods, and enhancing rural women’s projects.

ICRC: 19 projects to improve livelihoods

Sakalian reviewed the organization’s activities in Syria and other countries, explaining that its projects focus on supporting those affected by conflicts, particularly in health and economic security.

The economic security programs aim to assist populations through a range of projects, including 19 projects in livelihood improvement benefiting some 30,000 people across most provinces, covering seed distribution for farmers, support for irrigation projects using solar energy systems, and distribution of sheep and fodder to areas lacking pasture, he said.

Sakalian noted that theICRCis also studying a project to rehabilitate the nursery in the town of Ta’oum inIdlibprovince, confirming that the agricultural sector receives the largest share of the ICRC’s support projects in Syria.

In October 2025, the Agriculture Ministry held talks with the ICRC on ways to enhance cooperation in the agricultural sector and humanitarian and development projects, reviewing the committee’s plans for 2025 and 2026 focusing on supporting rural families’ livelihoods and promoting agricultural and livestock development.