Economy Minister: Emphasis is on protecting local production

Lattakia, SANA – Economy and Foreign Trade Minister Humam al-Jazaeri said that the two free zones in Lattakia, one of which is on land and the other in the harbor, will be converted to areas for processing, textile, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.

Meeting businessmen in Lattakia on Saturday, al-Jazaeri said that emphasis is currently on protecting local products, with the importation of products with locally-manufactured equivalents having been suspended, stressing the need to market local produce at suitable prices and preventing imported produce from affecting farmers.

He said that the government is focusing on dairy products, noting that the Syrian coast is a promising area for this type of industry.

The businessmen attending the meeting called for improving marketing abroad and reducing customs for imported materials to limit unsupervised smuggling.

The Minister also met with the Governorate’s economic committee and economic officials in the province to discuss the state of the two free zones and industrial areas, which al-Jazaeri had inspected earlier today along with two industrial facilities.

Hazem Sabbagh

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