HODEIDA March 23 2024 (Saba) - The Agricultural Projects and Initiatives Financing Unit in Hodeida governorate played an active role during the past year 1444 AH and the first half of this year, in supporting a series of development projects in the agricultural and fishery sectors.
The unit crowned its development vision and the goals sought from its establishment with performance indicators full of development contributions during a record period, the impact of which was reflected in the completion of priority agricultural and fisheries projects and the achievement of tangible steps towards developing work in the fisheries sector.
Efforts to implement plans and programs in the course of the general direction of the state and the leadership of the local authority in Hodeidah have resulted in adopting the implementation of a number of effective studies to address part of the challenges facing agricultural activity in the areas of the Tuhami Plain, implementing workshops on developing the value chain for fish and aquatic organisms, and supporting and qualifying agricultural cooperative societies.
Quantum leap :
Funding programs to build the capabilities of administrative bodies of cooperative societies in a number of governorate directorates in the field of agriculture, production, marketing, and improving and improving agricultural crops is an important aspect of the Project Finance Unit’s directions to move the wheel of agricultural development in Hodeidah within the framework of the general trend to achieve self-sufficiency.
The projects funded by the unit varied between supporting the rehabilitation of infrastructure, constructing dams, barriers, and water caravans, stimulating community initiatives, reclaiming agricultural lands, improving the conditions of farmers, purchasing and providing agricultural equipment, qualifying development riders, and supporting capabilities to improve the production and marketing of milk and fish.
The unit, in coordination with the Supreme Agricultural and Fisheries Committee and the local authority in the governorate, achieved a qualitative leap in supporting farmers, providing the most important needs, expanding the agricultural area, supporting efforts to coordinate cooperative work, and enhancing its activity in achieving self-sufficiency.
Vital projects:
The project to rehabilitate the sea gate of the fishing port in Hodeidah, worth 250 million riyals, is one of the unit’s vital projects due to the importance it represents in improving the infrastructure of the fishery sector, serving fishermen, and facilitating the movement of fishermen.
Among the initiatives that were funded the restoration project for the central slaughterhouse in the governorate, worth 38 million riyals, which includes the restoration of the central hall, the leather section, and the main tank, and the establishment of a laboratory, in addition to the restoration of the building’s wall, which contributes to improving the services provided by the slaughterhouse institution within the framework of the unit’s interventions to rehabilitate priority buildings.
Regarding projects to harvest rainwater and utilize it to irrigate various agricultural crops, two projects for building and rehabilitating two barriers in Wadi Siham, and treating the damage caused by torrential rains at the two barriers, were funded at a value of 150 million riyals.
In view of the importance that the well-known valleys along the lands of the Tihama Coast Directorates represent to the agricultural sector, the unit funded a project to implement a water barrier in Wadi More with a value of 68 million riyals, as well as a project for the Baashoush barrier with a value of seven million riyals, and a project to protect the villages of Baashush and Beit Al-Shafuf with an amount of seven million riyals.
The unit financed the implementation of projects to drill three water wells with a solar system for palm farmers in the Al-Tuhayta district, at a value of 80 million riyals, and the construction of water and earth barriers at a value of 250 million riyals.
Regarding support for the purchase and provision of agricultural equipment, last month the unit delivered a number of heavy equipment to the General Authority for the Development of Tihama, which included three buckets and two buckets worth 240 million riyals, as part of the directions aimed at activating the authority’s activity in the agricultural field and implementing water projects and dams.
The unit contributed to financing a number of research experiments on wheat varieties in the Bajil district, with 20 varieties, which were successful and achieved a productivity of 2-3 tons per hectare for research fields.
These experiments focused on encouraging farmers and providing them with knowledge about agricultural practices and operations of the crop and how to deal with it as it is An alien to Tihama, and the good care these crops require.
The unit's efforts focus on supporting such experiments and purposeful projects, through practical steps within the framework of the directives of the Leader of the Revolution and the Supreme Agricultural and Fisheries Committee, to bring crops, especially wheat, to sufficiency instead of foreign imports, which are estimated at three million and 800 tons annually.
Wide development presence:
The Agricultural and Fisheries Initiatives and Projects Financing Unit in Hodeidah is keen to enhance its positive presence in the development field, by supporting various community, agricultural and fisheries projects and initiatives in accordance with its list of tasks, which stems from the sustainable development vision to achieve self-sufficiency.
The Director General of the Unit in the governorate, Yahya Al-Wadaei, explained that a series of projects were implemented and completed during the last period in various fields and tracks related to agricultural activity and fish wealth development and supporting the role of the Tihama Development Authority and the cooperative, fishery and development societies in providing needs and supporting workshops and courses.
He noted that 37 projects funded by the unit, worth more than two billion and 800 million riyals, distributed among 24 projects under implementation and 13 projects under study and planning for implementation, will represent a real renaissance for the agricultural and fisheries sectors in the various regions of the governorate’s directorates, in a way that meets the existing needs.
Al-Wadaei reported that the unit’s board of directors in the governorate approved, at its last meeting, the implementation of 18 agricultural and fishery projects, worth two billion and 500 million riyals, with local funding, including the establishment of five agricultural extension centers in the districts of Al-Munira, Bayt Al-Faqih and Bura’, and the restoration of five other centers in Bayt Al-Faqih and Al-Tuhayta, and Al-Jah, Al-Durayhimi, and Al-Ma'aras in Al-Zahra.
The approved projects include the maintenance and rehabilitation of the destroyed cotton gin in Zabid, the restoration and rehabilitation of five administrative buildings and facilities in the southern region of the Tihama Development, and the rehabilitation, restoration and installation of central water in Tihama development authority.
It also includes the purchase of four heavy agricultural equipment, the maintenance and rehabilitation of the diversionary barrier basin in Wadi Ramma’ in Zabid, the construction of a 15-meter-wide gate of gabions in Wadi Mur, the construction of two walls of gabions 60 meters long in Wadi Mur, the removal of sediments and the removal of trees in the valleys of Siham, Mur, Zabid, Ramma’ and Sardoud, and the contribution in cultivating 30,000 hectares in the desert with grain crops, and establishing five nurseries in the model districts.
The director of the unit, Al-Wadaei, indicated that the approved projects that serve the fish sector include expanding and deepening the fishing basin in Al-Khubah in Al-Lahiyah District, and maintaining the fish landing centers in Al-Tur, Ghalifaqa, Al-Matinah, Al-Salif, Ibn Abbas and Kamran.
Concrete efforts and diverse support:
Hodeida is of great importance due to its advantages for agriculture and fisheries, and the Director of the Project Finance Unit touched on the qualitative efforts made by the unit in supporting and financing afforestation projects aimed at combating desertification and restoring life to farms destroyed by the aggression.
He stated that the funded projects focus on encouraging community initiatives in various areas of development, especially agricultural, and focus on building dams and water barriers to harvest rainwater and utilize it to irrigate agricultural crops, and focus on supporting projects whose studies complete and comprehensive.
He pointed to what has been implemented in terms of qualifying development cadres, supporting volunteer workshops and courses in the field of development and agricultural work and community initiatives, evaluating and developing the production value chain for local dairy and its derivatives, reducing development gaps, and qualifying association cadres.
Al-Wadaei noted the unit’s keenness to support scientific research in the field of fisheries, enhance cooperation with the College of Marine Sciences, and encourage the preparation of scientific studies that are consistent with the requirements of exploiting the country’s resources in this sector and in keeping the state’s directions to achieve self-sufficiency, which represents a basic pillar of food security.
He touched on interventions to support the project to expand grain cultivation in Zabid district, and delivered 300 farmers 12,500 kilograms of maize seeds, four thousand wheat seeds, and a thousand kilograms of bean seeds within the economic empowerment project to provide white loans.
He stated that the unit contributed to supporting the College of Agriculture at Hodeida University, with two transport buses, an initiative to meet part of the college’s needs within the directions aimed at supporting agricultural academic education, stressing that the unit pays more attention to the agricultural and fisheries aspect in order to translate the directives of the leader of the revolution, al- Sayeed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi to achieve security food and self-sufficiency.
Director of the Finance Unit, Yahya Al-Wadaei, stressed the keenness to coordinate with the concerned authorities in the governorate to raise the level of participatory work in implementing initiatives within the agricultural development front, which requires strengthening all efforts and energies.
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resource : SABA
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