ID :
101251
Wed, 01/20/2010 - 08:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/101251
The shortlink copeid
Yemen, WB discuss establishing Qat regional centre
SANA'A, Jan. 19 (Saba) - Yemen and World Bank (WB) discussed here on Tuesday the procedures pertaining to the establishment of a regional centre for Qat in Yemen.
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansour al-Hawshabi held talks with Senior
Institutional Development Specialist, Middle East and North Africia Region Julie
Viloria-Williams
on the centre's tasks, which will focus on spreading awareness of the significance
of reducing the cultivation of Qat in Yemen, which became a big obstacle facing
agricultural
development.
The meeting dealt with the importance of establishing and supporting the centre by
the WB as well as its role in propping up the government's efforts to decrease
Qat's planting
and its water depletion.
Al-Hawshabi hailed the WB's role in supporting the agricultural sector in Yemen and
in enhancing its role to realize the food security in Yemen, underlining the
significance
of the centre in spreading awareness of Qat's risks.
For her part, the WB official noted that the WB is currently preparing studies on
identifying the requirements and priorities of establishing the centre, on which
the agricultural
development in Yemen will depends on.
It is worth to mention that Qat planting in Yemen increases yearly at an average of
4,000 to 6,000 hectares, using about 30 percent of the water resources allotted to
agriculture.
The production and consumption of Qat have increased during the last years. Qat
competes with many food crops, particularly the cash crops such as coffee and
cotton.
According to agricultural census data, Yemen's production of Qat rose from 118,207
tons of the total planted lands estimated to 122,843 hectares in 2004 to reach
165,668
tons from 146,810 hectares at the end of 2008.
FJ/AF
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansour al-Hawshabi held talks with Senior
Institutional Development Specialist, Middle East and North Africia Region Julie
Viloria-Williams
on the centre's tasks, which will focus on spreading awareness of the significance
of reducing the cultivation of Qat in Yemen, which became a big obstacle facing
agricultural
development.
The meeting dealt with the importance of establishing and supporting the centre by
the WB as well as its role in propping up the government's efforts to decrease
Qat's planting
and its water depletion.
Al-Hawshabi hailed the WB's role in supporting the agricultural sector in Yemen and
in enhancing its role to realize the food security in Yemen, underlining the
significance
of the centre in spreading awareness of Qat's risks.
For her part, the WB official noted that the WB is currently preparing studies on
identifying the requirements and priorities of establishing the centre, on which
the agricultural
development in Yemen will depends on.
It is worth to mention that Qat planting in Yemen increases yearly at an average of
4,000 to 6,000 hectares, using about 30 percent of the water resources allotted to
agriculture.
The production and consumption of Qat have increased during the last years. Qat
competes with many food crops, particularly the cash crops such as coffee and
cotton.
According to agricultural census data, Yemen's production of Qat rose from 118,207
tons of the total planted lands estimated to 122,843 hectares in 2004 to reach
165,668
tons from 146,810 hectares at the end of 2008.
FJ/AF
