Lennart Bage, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) paid earlier this month a four-day visit to Syria. Bage was in a tour to see the work-in-progress in a number of projects IFAD is part-financing in the country and to...

According to the latest data released in its annual publication, the World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund expects Syria's GDP to grow by 3.6% this year and 4.0% in 2005, i.e. slightly higher than the figures of the last two years.

A change in strategy by HOBOOB is leading to a reduction in stocks and an increase in exports of wheat.

The export of cereals is leading to a loss of SYP 12 billion a year (USD 230 million) for the Syrian treasury, according to Teshreen, the state-owned daily.

The long term aim is to reduce import of white sugar through the expansion of production capacity. Private investors have been allowed to enter the sector.

The Foreign Service of the US Department of Agriculture (FAS-USDA) has released its annual report on Syria's cotton sector.

The Saudi Binladin Group and Spain's Aceites del Sur have begun operating the largest olive oil processing plant in Syria.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has agreed to provide Syria with a loan of USD17.5 million to finance a number of agricultural development projects in the Idlib governorate, in the north-western part of the country.

The Foreign Service of the US Department of Agriculture (FAS-USDA) has released its annual report on Syria's cereals sector.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will finance a USD375.000 project to improve food quality control measures in Syria.

The FAO has forecast output of wheat in 2002 to reach 4.5 million tonnes about 27 percent above the average for the previous five years.

ACSAD, the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid zones and Dry lands, held the 23rd meeting of its Executive council in Damascus, on December 15 and 16.

Syria's state-owned General Organization for Tobacco received the ISO 9001 quality certificate.

A seminar on agricultural cooperation opportunities between Syrian and Italian companies was held in Damascus on November 5.

Syria's exports of cereals is set to total 1 million tonnes by the end of the year, according to Ismail Ismail, head of Hoboob, the state-owned establishment in charge of marketing the country's cereals production.