President Saleh tours sunflower farm in Houdeida

HOUDEIDA, May 1 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh toured on Sunday the sunflower farm of the Yemeni Company for Agricultural and Industrial Development, one of the Hail Saeed Group’s companies, where he was received by Minister of Agriculture Hassan Sawaid and Board Chairman of the Hail Saeed Group. In his visit, President Saleh listened to an explanation on activities of the farm and program of spreading cultivation of sunflower in the country to utilize from cooking oil derived form its seeds as the cost of a ton of sunflower oil is $ 850 dollar. President Saleh gave orders to agricultural authorities to extend cultivation of such a crop, saying that Yemen imports oil at a sum of YR 11 billion annually. He emphasized importance of developing agriculture particularly the cultivation of the sunflower crop and cotton for their positive results on the economy of the country. The president called on farmers to cultivate such crops, saying that the government would support them by providing them with seeds and irrigation systems. AH/KM SABA