Following an earthquake that caused significant damage in Turkey and Syria, the United Nations (UN) is putting together measures to assist farmers in those countries. According to a report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation under the United Nations, research is being done to discover ways to instantly assist farmers in Turkey and Syria.
The earthquake that hit both countries in February had a significant impact on rural farmers in both countries. According to Qu Dongyu, Secretary-General of the UN, there has been minimal media coverage of the harm done to farms in Turkey and Syria. He said that this happened after a delegation was dispatched to assess the country’s agricultural situation in light of the earthquake disaster.
“Farmers in rural areas in Turkey and Syria have been seriously damaged by this earthquake, so we must act quickly to assist them,” Dongyu added.
He continued by saying that the UN is collaborating with both independent and government-affiliated organizations to hasten the distribution of supplies.
“The earthquake that shook the country badly devastated the food production system, food delivery, and food storage facilities,” Dongyu said. According to the report, Turkey’s roadways, livestock, and irrigation systems have all been badly impacted.
“Syria has lost many crops that were expected to be harvested as a result of the earthquake, and many cattle have also died,” Dongyu said. He said that this will have an impact on food production for the Syrian market.
“Those who worked in the farms producing food died, and farming equipment, including infrastructure like railway lines and the highways to transport goods, were broken in both countries,” said Dongyu.
The organisation promised to put in a lot of effort to ensure that animal husbandry and agriculture in these countries quickly return to normal. “We are determined to supply livestock food, seedlings, soil fertilizers, farming tools, and livestock care medicines to Turkey and Syria as soon as possible,” said Dongyu.
He declared that they would offer two to three months of emergency financial aid so that the farmers in the two countries could resume their job. “We have been assisting the people of Syria for 13 years due to the ongoing war in that country; we have been doing so under the United Nations plan, which should continue through the end of this year 2023,” Dongyu stated.
He said that the UN requires $10 million in aid for its people, including 300,000 farmers in Syria.
“In Turkey, we need approximately $70 million to maintain the help we have been providing to Syrian refugees in Turkey,” Dongyu added.
Tens of thousands of people died, and key buildings were destroyed as a result of the earthquake that affected the two countries.
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