RAMALLAH, Monday, May 20, 2024 (WAFA) - The Minister of Agriculture, Rezq Salimia, today stressed the importance of continued Italian support for the Palestinian agricultural sector.

During a meeting with Domenico Bellato, the Consul General of Italy in Jerusalem, the Minister of Agriculture thanked the friendly country of Italy for its support of many relief agricultural projects, mainly in the southern provinces, and for its support of development projects which focused on the development of infrastructure and farming industries and water harvesting projects.

The Minister of Agriculture briefed the Italian official on the impact of the extensive destruction of the Palestinian agricultural sector, especially in the southern provinces, which created a difficult living reality in terms of food insecurity and hunger, as well as on the almost daily targeting of farmers and their properties in the West Bank in terms of pastoral colonization, control of natural resources, the burning and cutting down of trees, and the forceful expulsion of Palestinian communities.

Minister Salimia requested the Consul General of Italy to demand the Italian government to adopt the initiative made by the Ministry of Agriculture to create an emergency response fund and the possibility of project elaboration to support graduates of new agricultural engineers in cooperation with the Engineering Union.

For his part, the Consul General of Italy praised the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture in supporting and developing the agricultural sector, stressing his country's continued support of this sector which is the largest sector for employment, stressing that work was underway to develop several relief and development projects to help Palestinian farmers.

T.R.