Enab Baladi – Zeinab Dawwa
For 14 years, poultry breeders in Syria have faced numerous difficulties, leading to the closure of many farms and reluctance from breeders to continue their work. However, this sector hopes to recover after years of stagnation.
The importance of this sector lies in its ability to meet market needs for eggs and meat, as well as providing job opportunities in farms and its association with other industrial activities such as the production of animal feed, veterinary medicines, and equipment.
Experts in poultry farming expect improvements in the sector due to the decline in the cost of raw materials, the availability of fuels, and the lifting of many import and export restrictions. This has resulted in a decrease in the price of a kilogram of chicken, reaching 16,000 Syrian pounds at the farm, while it recorded 25,000 pounds in the market.
Challenges faced by breeders
Khaled al-Issa, owner of a chicken farm in the al-Kiswa area of rural Damascus, told Enab Baladi that breeders struggle with rising production costs for feed, medicines, and other necessities, most of which are imported from abroad. The price of chickens has been directly linked to the exchange rate. The difficulties have particularly emerged in securing heating, due to the scarcity of diesel and its significantly high price in the black market.
Many breeders have ceased their profession due to the conditions of war and its repercussions, which has led to a “large” number of them exiting the production cycle, as noted by Haidar Ali, who owns a farm in western Homs.
Ali experienced market fluctuations before the fall of the previous regime and the lack of a clear methodology for the prices of feed, chicks, and medicine, which discouraged breeders from continuing in their profession due to increasing losses.
Poultry farming is divided into various sections, including broilers and those for egg production. This profession has “suffered greatly,” according to Ali, due to many fundamental issues. First, the breeder faces challenges in securing essential breeding supplies such as spacious buildings that receive sufficient sunlight, in addition to ensuring electricity, clean water, and appropriate feed and drink containers, all of which involve significant financial costs.
He pointed out that breeders use wood shavings to maintain an appropriate temperature for the chicks, and there are challenges related to securing medicine and daily monitoring of food and water intake.
Some feeds can cause poultry mortality due to poor storage of raw materials, necessitating the breeder to be vigilant about any unexpected events affecting their livelihood until the chickens mature and are ready for sale.
Breeders have also faced theft of chicken weight during transportation to slaughterhouses, as well as attempts at deception by lowering the price of chickens during offers, as explained by Ali.
Optimism
Ali al-Issa, who raises chickens in Daraa province, expressed his optimism about the future of the sector, confirming that breeders have started to achieve profits with declining costs and a revival of marketing.
While breeder Mohammed al-Ahmad used to own four farms in Tartus province, which he closed due to greater losses than profits, he has now reopened two of them.
Fadel Haj Hisham, director of the General Organization for Poultry, told Enab Baladi that chick producers and egg producers have suffered losses due to an oversupply of the product and low consumer demand, in addition to high feed and medicine costs, as well as their poor quality and the toll of military checkpoints on traders and the transport of products between provinces.
Most of the damage was attributed to the laws and regulations imposed by the previous regime, such as raising customs values and the exchange rate difference between the Syrian pound and the dollar, according to Haj Hisham.
Several traders used to monopolize feed materials so they could control prices in the markets. Additionally, difficulty in securing effective medicines, the rising costs of imported medicines, and the absence of supervising veterinarians in farms, along with breeders relying on their limited expertise, and the substantial financial losses incurred by farm owners, have forced them to halt their operations indefinitely.
According to the former director of the Poultry Organization, Siraj Khedr, the poultry sector still suffers from disorganization and needs oversight and regulation from a governmental body, such as the Farmers’ Union and the Poultry Breeders Committee.
The poultry sector possesses significant investments and large infrastructure but needs to open export opportunities to introduce foreign currency, according to Khedr, adding that the return of Syria as a producing country in poultry depends on the facilitation provided to the sector and the creation of a favorable environment and supportive policies, as well as fostering competition among traders in favor of consumers.
Government facilitation
Fadel Haj Hisham, director of the General Organization for Poultry, clarified to Enab Baladi that the chicken market is considered good compared to last year, and there will be efforts to regulate the market and open channels for export. A substantial portion of the farms (owned by the organization) has been offered for investment, with a study underway to propose the remaining ones, while the organization will retain some facilities for the development of the broiler industry.
He indicated that efforts are being made to find foreign markets and impose fees on the entry of frozen chicken.
Signs of revival in Syria’s poultry sector Enab Baladi.
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