Daraa – Mahjoub al-Hashish
Farmer Hussein al-Hashish stopped harvesting his garlic crop in the town of Tal Shihab in western Daraa after its price declined in the al-Hal markets in both Daraa and Damascus.
The price of garlic in the al-Hal market does not exceed 4,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram, which is an amount that does not cover the cost of harvesting the crop, according to the farmer’s statements to Enab Baladi.
Al-Hashish did not expect the price of garlic to drop this low, especially after it had increased in previous years. The farmer estimated his losses this season at approximately 5,000 US dollars.
Al-Hashish decided not to plant garlic in the upcoming seasons because it is now a “gamble,” despite having grown it for years. He called for protection for the agricultural product and support with fuel and fertilizers to reduce production costs for farmers.
The decline in price is not limited to garlic; it also includes many types of vegetables, such as zucchini, peas, and potatoes, which have reached a level that farmers consider a loss that does not cover the costs they spent on their crops.
Prices that don’t cover costs
Several farmers in Daraa attributed the drop in prices to the flooding of the market with imported vegetables and fruits.
Farmer Marwan al-Hussein did not complete harvesting the yellow watermelon from his ten-dunum plot in the town of Koya after consecutive losses in selling the crop.
Al-Hussein told Enab Baladi that he planted his crop under plastic tunnels hoping to sell it at a price that would yield him profits, but the price dropped to 2,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram, which only covers the cost of harvesting.
As for farmer Odai Shihab, he has ten dunums of tomatoes in the Yarmouk Valley and fears that the price will drop further when the crop ripens, as the current price of tomatoes is 11,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram.
The losses from the pea season led farmer Mohammed Kiwan to shepherd sheep in his field, as the market price is 2,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram, which only covers harvesting costs. He said he would leave farming and look for alternatives if the price of vegetables continued to drop.
Flooding the market with imported products
Yasser al-Hakim, a vegetable and fruit trader in Daraa, said to Enab Baladi that imported products flooded the local market and reduced prices, leading to financial losses for farmers.
For example, one trader imported trucks of apricot fruit, causing the price to drop from 30,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram to 10,000 Syrian pounds, which could cause financial harm to apricot farmers in the province.
Additionally, traders imported potatoes, and its price dropped from 7,000 to 4,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram, before the harvest of the spring season.
According to the trader, there should be an export policy that aligns with the protection of locally produced agricultural products.
The need for an agricultural calendar to achieve balance
The head of the Daraa Agricultural Chamber, Jamal al-Masalmeh, told Enab Baladi that the Ministry of Agriculture submitted a request to the Ministry of Economy to halt the import of agricultural products for a month.
Al-Masalmeh emphasized the necessity of establishing an agricultural calendar to determine which agricultural products should be exported or imported to achieve balance in the local market. He also mentioned the need to export surplus vegetables and fruits and to prevent imports during peak seasons.
Al-Masalmeh noted that 90% of the province’s population are farmers, some of whom have olive or pomegranate orchards, while others cultivate vegetables.
He added that agriculture is the backbone of life in the province, contributing to commercial and urban activity. If farmers continue to lose money, they may abandon farming, negatively impacting the economic life in the province. He pointed out that the processing industries are linked to agriculture in the province.
The costs of fertilizers, pesticides, and fuel place the greatest burden on the farmer, and farmers in Daraa face difficulties securing irrigation water after most wells and reservoirs in the province dried up.
Imported vegetables cause losses for farmers in Daraa Enab Baladi.
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