Damascus - Ornamental plants and aromatic flowers of different kinds have a very important economic and environmental value and Syria has been famous for planting these kinds throughout history and still cares for them through planting Aljori, pink, yoga, Arockaria, Vieques roses and others.
Every Syrian house embraces potted plants or flowers, reminding of ancient houses and gardens's intimate memories which used to be full of several types of plants, trees and roses.
Since 1970s, the Syrian government has encouraged the production of ornamental plants and the domestic production started to cover the needs of the local market.
In 1990, Syria started to export ornamental plants to the Arab and international markets, and the amount of exported plants hit 19,000 tons in 2005 with a value of S.P 2,274 millions while 2006 statistics showed that the number of ornamental plants greenhouses reached 3,163 spreading over an area of 142,335 hectares.
The Ministry of Agriculture submitted a number of developmental projects with regard to the Damascene rose in al-Kalamoun ,some 65 km northeast of Damascus, and took many procedures for improving ornamental plants production, Director of Plant Production at the Ministry Abdul-Muin Qadamani said.
Lattakia governorate cares for planting aromatic flowers more than the other Syrian governorates where it embraces a considerable number of producers, amateurs and professionals who are interested in cultivating aromatic flowers.
The total number of farms was more than 20 most of them use greenhouses while a few of them use open lands during summer and autumn.
With regard to the ornamental plants, there are more than 30 farms in Lattakia which use greenhouses, but they are suffering from many difficulties which hinder their development, particularly the expensive costs, difficult promotion, low prices and high competition of flowers and the artificial plants which started to cover the need of the local market with competitive prices.
In 2004, the number of greenhouses planted with ornamental plants in Tartous governorate increased threefold in comparison with 2001 where they amounted to 135.
Studies show that there are many hereditary plant sources in the local environment in the Arab region such as the Damascene rose and the white and Arabian jasmine in Syria in addition to the basil in Syria and Lebanon and other species of plants spreading all over the Arab World.
By Ruaa AL-Jazaeri/ Kh.Aridi
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2009
