Economy hardship | Merchants closes their shops and bread price increases again in Idlib, as US dollar approaches 2,500 SYL

Large shops and fuel stores in most of Syria’s provinces have been partly closed after the Syrian pound hits a new record low in the past hours. The Syrian pound against the US dollar approached 2,500 SYL, which, in turn, resulted in increasing the prices of all goods to a level unaffordable by the many, in addition to the lack of many products and supplies.

 

In regime-held areas, some merchants in Latakia, Homs, Hama, Damascus, Daraa and Al-Suwaidaa have closed their shops and upped the prices to unprecedented levels, as the value of the Syrian pound keeps falling.

 

In connection to this, the ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection has issued a circular obligating the wholesale dealers and retailers in Al-Hal markets in all provinces to keep registering the movement of buying and selling of their stuffs and to uphold the invoicing.

 

While in SDF-controlled areas, residents called to demonstrate in Al-Qamishly city in rural Al-Haskah, protesting the harsh living conditions in the shadow of currency plunge. Also the markets in areas under the control of SDF have experienced increasing prices of all goods and depression of shopping.

 

In north-western Syria, SOHR activists in Idlib have monitored popular resentment, as some bread bakeries raised the price of a bundle of bread of 775 g to 600 SYL, after a bundle of 850 g used to be sold for 500 SYL.

 

Residents expect that it will cost 800 SYL to buy a bundle of bread in the incoming days because of lack of fuel and the high cost of raw materials and production.