Agriculture sector ... pioneering successes in two decades

By Dirhem al-Sufyani Translated by Ahmed Farhan

SANA'A, May 19 (Saba) - Agriculture is one of the key
productive sectors in Yemen. About 54 percent of the manpower is engaged in this vital sector, which produces roughly 17.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Since the reunification of the country in 1990, the government has paid more
attention to improve this significant sector, on which about 74 percent of the
rural areas'
inhabitants rely. It has carried out a number of qualitative strategic projects in
the basic infrastructure area and institutional projects specialized in the
management
and development of the natural resources and groundwater, in addition to other
projects to improve irrigation means, protect environment, safeguard soil from drift
and to
encounter desertification.
One of the distinctive projects that have been implemented in the last two decades
is the Groundwater and Soil Conservation Project (GSCP) at a cost of over YR 1
billion.
It aims to prompt farmers to use modern irrigation means and rationed irrigation
systems using drip irrigation networks to reduce depletion of water.
Likewise, the Project of the Agricultural Cooperatives worth $25,650,000, which is
implemented in the eastern areas (Maifa'ah and Shabwa) and the Rural Development
Project
for governorates of (Shabwa, Abyan, Hadramout and Lahj) at a cost of $38,630,000,
which is intended for supporting small farmers in rural areas.
The implemented projects include also the Project of Self-assistance Development
for governorates of (Lahj, Abyan, Taiz, Ibb, Dalei and Baidha'a) amounting to YR
541,800,000
and the second stage of GSCP that covers 15 governorates at a cost of $ 35 million,
which has been extended by an additional grant of $15 million from World Bank (WB)
until
2011, as it is one of the significant strategic projects the country depends on to
face water scarcity and aridity.
The second stage of the Mareb Dam has been also carried out in 2003 - 2007 at a
cost of $ 30 million.
Moreover, the government has accomplished the project of Seed Multiplication and
Agricultural Services (1998 - 2003), which costs YR 460,000,000, the Project of
Rural Development
for Central Highlands worth $ 26,400,000, the Rural Development Project in Mahrah
governorate amounting to $ 17,795,000, the Wadi Hadramout Development Project
amounting
to $ 38,630,000, Irrigation Development Project in governorates of Hodeidah and Lahj
worth $25,600,000 and the Project of Wadi Bana Conservation at a cost of YR
210,000,000.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has paid special attention to the
agricultural products' marketing and export as it is the cornerstone of the
agricultural development.
It has established more than 16 markets and centers for collecting the agricultural
products from different governorates, in addition to building new centers to
circulate
agricultural marketing information, thus prop up the infrastructure required to
succeed the marketing and export processes.
As a result of such efforts, the cultivated area with various cereal crops, or
fruits, or vegetables, or cash crops has been increased from 899,424 hectares in
1991 to 1,307,000
hectares in 2009. The agricultural production reached 5,000,220 tons in 2009
compared to 3,815,000 tons in 2004.
The production of cereals, which was 447,470 tons in 1991, raised to around 674,488
tons in 2009. The fruits increased in the same period from 316,000 tons to 988,679
tons,
and the production of vegetables lifted up from 641,000 tons to 1,090,470 tons,
while the legumes increased to 81,822 tons from 43,000 tons in 1991.
The cash crops have achieved high rates too. The cultivated area with such crops
widened from 53,000 hectares in 1991 to 86,943 hectares in 2009, raising the
production
from 27,700 tons up to 90,681 tons.
Enlarging the cultivated area and growing the various crops' production were
concurred with legislative, technical and institutional development in the Plant
Production
Department. A unit to control vegetable products' quality was founded to inspect the
governorates' markets to ensure the seeds' quality. Further, a laboratory was
outfitted
to dissect the used seeds and the produced crops, advance nurseries and to expand
the usage of modern irrigation networks.
That has stepped up the agricultural exports remarkably from YR 722 million in 1990
to roughly YR 45 billion in 2007. Fruits and coffee have ranked first in the
exports'
list.
However, efforts are still made intensively to increase the agricultural production
volume and to expand the cultivated area via the implementation of a number of
related
projects for protecting plants, getting rid of poisoned pesticide and for
safeguarding the environment. In this regard, Yemen eliminated in 2004 from nearly
462 tons of expired
pesticide and pollution materials accumulated in 40 sites since 1940s, and from then
on Yemen became one of the earliest Arab countries that have done so.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, through the General Department of Plant
Protection, has regulated the usage of pesticides and managed to reduce the
authorized
pesticides from 1024 to 157 ones, and to decline Yemen's imports of pesticides to
less than 400 tons by the end of 2009 compared with 2100 tons in 2006.
The Ministry has also established plant quarantine stations, according to the
up-to-date international standard designs, in the border outlets of Attiwal,
al-Buq'a, Elb,
Shahn, al-Wadie'ah and harbors of Aden and Hodeidah at a cost of YR 157.5 million.
The General Department of Plant Protection has intensified its supervisory
procedures for pesticides usage through carrying out periodic and unexpected tours
of inspection
at pesticides stores in all over the governorates. Furthermore, it compiled a list
of banned pesticides in Yemen numbered about 349 ones.
A Pesticide Residual Effect Laboratory worth YR 50 million outfitted with modern
equipment has been established in Sana'a to trigger the supervisory role in
pesticides usage
and to minimize the risk of haphazard pesticides usage to public health and
environment. The laboratory examines the residual effects of pesticides on fruits
and vegetables
as well.
Furthermore, a center for control and combat desert locust has been instituted with
state-of-the-art forecast system to monitor desert locust and to protect the
agricultural
crops.
The Agriculture Ministry's investment program for 2009 contained setting up plant
quarantine stations in a number of harbors in addition to upgrading the existing
ones in
the custom outlets at a cost of YR 125 million. That aims to strengthen their role
in supervising the import and export of plants and agricultural crops.
The ministry has also increased its agricultural guidance activities and carried
out several agricultural programs in different agricultural areas in the country to
acquaint
the farmers with the new agricultural techniques and to assist in increasing the
productivity of each cultivated unit.
Under the administrative, financial and economic reform program, the ministry
adopted in 2008 a new regulation reconstruct three sectors, which are agricultural
production
development, irrigation and land reclamation, and agricultural services. Each sector
includes specialized departments in various areas of agriculture and services.
The significance of re-construction the agriculture ministry is in propping up the
efforts of improving the agricultural production quantitatively and qualitatively
and
raising the annual growth rate in the agricultural sector and its share in the GDP
and the national economy to enhance the food security.