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Syria Animal Products
During the 1960s, the output of animal products stagnated
along with crop production. The majority of Syria's livestock
population consisted of sheep and goats of mainly indigenous
breeds--multipurpose animals raised for meat, milk, and wool or
hair. Although the private sector continued to dominate livestock
farming, the government marshaled considerable resources, raising
output in the mid-1970s. Between 1976 and 1984, the number of
sheep almost doubled from 6.5 to 12.7 million. Goats numbered
950,000 in 1976 and increased to 1.1 million in 1985. Sheep
raising accounted for about 65 percent of all meat produced and
about one-third of the milk and milk products. In 1984 sheep
produced 353,000 tons of milk, cows 330,000 tons, and goats
73,000 tons. About 35,000 beduin families, largely located in
arid and semiarid regions, took about three-fifths of the sheep
on annual migrations into the desert and steppe for grazing after
the winter rainy season. When the sparse natural vegetation dried
up, the flocks returned to cultivated areas, where they fed on
crop stubble and grass and weeds growing on fallow land. Many of
the animals became diseased, and the migrations were difficult,
particularly when rainfall was light. The beduin primarily
depended on sheep raising for their income, and they were part of
the poorest segment of the population, with incomes generally
less than half the national average.
About two-fifths of the sheep were raised by farm families to
supplement cash income and food production. Because most of
sheep-raising occurred in western Syria where rainfall was
heaviest, these sheep obtained a large share of their feed from
crop residue and even some regular fodder and concentrated feed
mixes. Sheep fattening in feedyards has been long-established in
western Syria. In the early 1970s, a serious shortage of milk,
meat, and eggs had developed for a population that already
averaged a low level of meat consumption and had a deficiency of
protein in the diet. In response, the government intensified
efforts to increase production of animal products and
particularly to improve conditions for beduin sheep raisers. A
number of small dams were constructed and wells sunk to provide
water for nomadic flocks, the area planted in fodder was
enlarged, veterinarian field clinics providing free animal
vaccinations were established (although they were chronically
short of staff and medicines), and shelters were built and
stocked with feed in migratory areas. The establishment of
cooperatives in the mid-1970s improved range management,
extension services, the availability of reasonable credit, and
supply and marketing activities for families engaged in sheepraising , whose incomes had been smaller than those of the beduin.
In the mid-1970s, there were 14 sheep-breeding and 37 sheepfattening cooperatives. By the mid-1980s, the number of sheepbreeding cooperatives had grown to 318 and sheep-fattening
cooperatives totaled 66. In 1974 the government established a
state-run organization responsible for the supply, storage,
distribution, and marketing of animal feed. Although the number
of sheep increased substantially from 1976 to 1984, it was not
clear whether the increase was a direct response to the
government's program or a result of periods of good rainfall that
occurred before the 1984 drought. In spite of increased sheep
raising, in the mid-1980s, Syria remained a net importer of meat.
Syria imported 4,550 tons of meat in 1984 valued at LS23 million,
compared to 12,176 tons of meat in 1983 valued at LS90 million.
Shortages of milk, meat, and eggs encouraged large
investments in poultry and dairy production. Poultry production
expanded rapidly in the 1970s because of the establishment of
several large-scale, commercial-style chicken farms. In the mid1980s , Syria became self-sufficient in poultry meat, and eggs. In
1984 annual poultry production reached 1.52 million chickens,
80,000 tons of poultry meat, and 1.6 billion eggs, an increase of
approximately half a billion eggs above 1979 levels. Syria's
private sector was responsible for 91 percent of this output.
In 1984, cattle totaled 736,000, including 501,000 dairy cows
that produced 579,000 tons of milk. Cattle were located primarily
in western Syria and in areas with substantial irrigation. In the
mid-1970s, several large farms were constructed to accommodate
imported high-yield dairy cows. Cattle were imported from Turkey
and eastern Europe for fattening to provide meat to domestic
markets in the mid-1980s. The government also established two
artificial insemination centers, encouraged the formation of
dairy cooperatives, and expanded extension services. Despite
these measures, in the mid-1980s Syria remained a net importer of
milk and milk products, importing LS255 million of milk and milk
products in 1984.
Data as of April 1987
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