Launch of an agricultural investment and trade forum for value chains in Damascus Details: The work of the agricultural investment and trade forum for value chains for priority commodities in Syria was launched at the Caesar Palace Hotel in Damascus. The forum is organized by the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture. The purpose of the forum is to discuss issues of agricultural investments and food security, to review promising investment opportunities and agricultural value chains, and to discuss financing mechanisms, risk management and the role of contract agriculture. The Assistant Minister of Agriculture for Policy Affairs and Rural Development, Muhammad Yusef Al-Makdad, confirmed that food security requires a transition to investment partnerships that link production to logistics services, storage and production within flexible and comprehensive value chains. Al-Maqdad explained that the Ministry of Agriculture is working on formulating a strategic vision that includes an investment map distributed among the provinces to identify available opportunities and address challenges. The representative of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Ali Musa, noted that food imports are a challenge to Arab food security, and noted that Syria is able to contribute to bridging this gap, especially in the production of grains and legumes.

Launch of an agricultural investment and trade forum for value chains in Damascus Details: The work of the agricultural investment and trade forum for value chains for priority commodities in Syria was launched at the Caesar Palace Hotel in Damascus. The forum is organized by the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture. The purpose of the forum is to discuss issues of agricultural investments and food security, to review promising investment opportunities and agricultural value chains, and to discuss financing mechanisms, risk management and the role of contract agriculture. The Assistant Minister of Agriculture for Policy Affairs and Rural Development, Muhammad Yusef Al-Makdad, confirmed that food security requires a transition to investment partnerships that link production to logistics services, storage and production within flexible and comprehensive value chains. Al-Maqdad explained that the Ministry of Agriculture is working on formulating a strategic vision that includes an investment map distributed among the provinces to identify available opportunities and address challenges. The representative of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Ali Musa, noted that food imports are a challenge to Arab food security, and noted that Syria is able to contribute to bridging this gap, especially in the production of grains and legumes.