A workshop to empower agricultural cooperatives and to develop the agricultural sector in Akkar

The workers’ union sector in Joomeh Coordination of the Future Movement organized yesterday a workshop entitled “Empowerment of CSOs”. Some 21 agricultural cooperatives attended this event in addition to the general coordinator, Issam Abdel Kader, who outlined the various initiatives and practical steps taken by the local coordination to develop the agricultural sector in the region.  Dr. Kamel Khaz3al spoke about the realities of the livestock sector and called for the adoption off a comprehensive plan to develop this sector.  He insisted on the importance for cooperatives to learn about their rights and entitlements from the Ministry of Agriculture and so as to request their due assistance in terms of agricultural extension, financial and in-kind support.
The workshop concluded with a number of recommendations namely a) the creation of a local directorate of cooperatives, a cooperative support fund and a federation of cooperatives in the North; b) follow-up the issue of animal feed and the problems faced by livestock farmers when seeking assistance and requesting from the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the quota of assistance to Akkar be as per that of other regions; c) preparing agricultural projects that are specific for Akkar and that are consistent with the nature of agricultural and livestock productions and providing veterinary health care; and e) creating and operationalising scientific institutions to guide and develop agricultural production in Akkar.

Source: Al-Mustaqbal 25 June 2014