Meeting on the Meat Plan
Syria's agriculture ministry held talks on Thursday, 20 August 2026, at its headquarters in Damascus to review progress on a plan to overhaul the country's meat sector. The discussion centered on carrying out a previously signed memorandum of understanding that covers the livestock value chain, from breeding through to the consumer.
Foreign Partners Enlisted
The plan draws in a Brazilian company that specializes in raising cattle, sheep and poultry and in producing feed, alongside a Turkish-German firm contracted to handle the technical and engineering work. Those taking part included the agriculture minister's adviser, the director general of the state cattle corporation, and representatives of both companies.
Building a Value Chain
The technical partner set out the stages of the project, starting with raising calves on farms, moving through the health and veterinary testing of both imported and locally bred animals, and ending with slaughter, processing, cooling and marketing. Participants also reviewed a design for modern slaughterhouses built to high quality and food-safety standards.
Officials said the processing methods would meet the specifications required for domestic consumption while also satisfying export requirements, a step they described as lifting the added value and competitiveness of Syrian animal products.
Toward Self-Sufficiency
Both sides stressed the importance of completing every link in the meat value chain within a single integrated system, arguing it would raise the efficiency of production, processing and marketing. They cast the effort as a way to support domestic output, strengthen food security and move the country toward self-sufficiency in meat.
The August Agreement
The talks build on a memorandum signed on 8 August 2026 for investment cooperation in rehabilitating and operating the state cattle corporation's facilities across the provinces. That agreement also covers developing livestock resources and rural communities, placing the meat program within a wider push to revive domestic agriculture.