The Effect of Foreign Trade Liberalization on the Trade Balance of Agricultural Sector in Syria During the Period (2001 – 2010)

The Theme Of this research mainly focuses on the effects of foreign trade liberalization on the trade balance for agricultural sector in Syria , after conducting an analytical study of the reality of this sector . And that’s due to its importance and its Stature in the national economy, and its effective role in production , labor , and drive economic growth , especially that the Syrian economy is classified in the agricultural economies. As the new economic trend, and regional conventions between Syria and other parties , and its accompanying procedures followed in order to cope with the foreign trade liberalization data and open markets , may significantly effected the agricultural sector. Where although it contributed to increase the size and rate of growth of Syrian agricultural trade, but this increase is caused by an increase in the volume of agricultural imports that exceeded the volume of agricultural exportrs, and that led to a defict in its balance, after it has achieved larg surpluses for long period. It was concluded from the study, that the process of foreign trade liberalization carried in some of its aspects, negative effects on the Syrian agricultural sector, inparticular the defict of its trare balance, instead of being great motivation , to take its pioneering role in economy.

The impact of the current crisis on the Syrian agricultural exports

The research aims to study the most important economic efficiency of agricultural foreign trade indicators, and to identify the most important problems facing the export companies and organizations working in the field of foreign agricultural trade, using descriptive and analytical approach in the treatment of research data. The results show that the annual growth rate of Syrian exports during the period 2005 to the first year of the crisis in 2011 amounted to about 15%, and from 2005 until the end of 2014 about 1%. The export strength top of the share of latency (56%), followed by tomatoes (53%), and apples (26%), then peaches and lentils (24%), while zero, export strength of the sheep, but some products such as wheat, barley, chickpeas and corn. Search results have been reached and there are some problems and obstacles faced by the operating companies, including the lack of accurate marketing information especially for foreign markets, and the non-availability of required quantities for export to the required specifications, or the availability of skilled labor on the post-harvest operations, in addition to dent some of the ministerial organs, Health and customs and taxes ... and others.