Support to Potato Producers in North Aleppo

During the conflict, most of the equipment required by farmers in the cultivation and production of potatoes have either been destroyed or ended up as wrecked beyond repair.

As a result, the availability of locally produced potatoes diminished in the local market leading to the need to import from neighboring countries. Addressing the lack of new equipment for field preparation and planting, and the use of after-harvest handling of potatoes thus has become critical to encourage farmers to return to potato production on large scale.

To overcome the challenging situation as stated above, and to enable as well as encourage Syrian farmers to return to potato production at a commercial scale, the SRTF, in collaboration with an implementing entity will provide four farmers associations with the necessary agricultural equipment to mechanize the work of potato production, and to help the farmers expand the cultivated areas. This is expected to:

Increase production of potatoes and improve its quality.
Enable improved cultivation practices and increase in yields.
Secure timely application of required agronomic practices by the farmers.
Create job opportunities for field workers and graduates in agronomy and agricultural mechanization for each association.
Increase the marketability of the potatoes through the introduction of integrated cleaning, grading and bagging which shall result in improved prices of the produce.

To ensure the aforementioned, the project will implement the following activities:

Establish four agricultural mechanization centers to serve the association of potato farmers.
Manage and develop these four associations of potato farmers in the following main potato production areas of northern Aleppo
Support these associations with potato production equipment and provide the necessary guidance and training to operate these machines and equipment. The results will encourage farmers to continue cultivating potatoes, increase the area under cultivation and contribute to reduction of production costs. There is a strong need to reduce production costs because during the current season, production costs reached approximately 5,000 USD per hectare, leading to reduction of revenue from the cultivated potato fields.
Provide advisory services and technical guidance to farmers on potato agronomic and production husbandry to assist them in selecting suitable varieties for each location of the associations. Additionally, attention will be given to ensuring the selection of appropriate fertilizers and pesticides at required quantities, at the right time, to achieve the potential high yield levels of the planted varieties of potatoes.

Wirth a total budget of EUR 1 million and a 12-month life cycle, the project is expected to benefit approximately 700 potato farmers and around 5,600 family members directly.

The farmers who will benefit from the use of agricultural machinery provided through this project will cultivate an estimated area of approximately 2100 hectares, at an average rate of 3 hectares per farmer.

For further information on the project, please see:

An SRTF Agriculture Project Successfully Concludes, Elevating Potato Farming and Local Prosperity

SRTF Agriculture Projects Reap a Bountiful Potato Harvest in Northern Aleppo

An SRTF Agriculture Project Builds Four Sheds in Northern Aleppo

An SRTF Agriculture Project Receives Machinery and Equipment for Potatoes in Northern Aleppo

The SRTF Agriculture Project Receives Soil Preparation Equipment for Potato Production in Northern Aleppo

Four Agricultural Tractors Delivered to Potato Farmers in Northern Aleppo

An SRTF Agriculture Project Received Containerized Offices and Rubb Halls in Northern Aleppo

The SRTF Approves a New Project Worth EUR I Million to Support Potato Production in Northern Aleppo

Support to Potato Producers in Northern Aleppo – Phase II

For further information on the SRTF, please see:

http://www.srtfund.org