Drought and lack of support | Major challenges face agriculture sector in areas controlled by Autonomous Administration in NE Syria
North-east Syria region, which is under the control of Syria Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration, is one of the most important agricultural regions in Syria, as it is the country’s food basket providing markets in all Syrian provinces with various types of strategic crops. This region is well-known for its wheat which is the main source for producing flour and bread.
In the past few years, the agricultural sector in north-east Syria region, including Al-Hasakah, Al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor provinces, has experienced a noticeable deterioration due to several factors. The most prominent of these factors are the poor support provided by the Autonomous Administration to farmers and lack of subsidies , as well as the decline of rainfall. These factors have manifested themselves in the reduction of production and increase in the prices of most of basic products; this, in turn, has impacted the residents of north-east Syria region and made them shoulder extra burdens.
Farmers in north-east Syria region have been complaining of not being provided with appropriate amounts of diesel allowances at good prices, so that they can cultivate, plough and irrigate their farmlands. Farmers have also complained of the high prices of fertilizers, seeds and insecticides, where they cannot afford these expenses, especially with the reduction of produced crops, such as wheat and summer vegetables.
Speaking to SOHR, a farmer known by his initials as S. S. from Al-Darbasiyyah countryside in the northern countryside of Al-Hasakah said, “crops during winter season have sustained considerable damage, which reached 40 percent in some f wheat farmlands , due to the low rainfall. There are two types of crops cultivated in the region, rainfed and irrigated. The crops of the first, especially in early-cultivated farmlands, sustained significant damage over the lack of rain, where seeds had got rotten and were damaged even before they had the chance germinate and grow. On the other hand, farmers depend on underground water for irrigating plants of the second type. However, many farmers were not able to get enough diesel to run the generators used pumping water out of wells to water their farms. At the beginning of the crisis, we received no support, but after we had repeatedly filed complaints to the ‘Energy Directorate’ in order to save our harvest, we were provided with little amounts of diesel.”
“I was forced to buy diesel for 1,000 SYP per litre, while the price of diesel allowances provided earlier to farmers did not exceed 85 SYP per litre. Many of the farmers do not have enough money to buy diesel for the current price, so they are forced to wait until they get their allowances, which affected the harvest. The recent rainfall in late March has revived farmers’ hopes that they will sustain smaller losses.
Commenting on other issues that farmers in north-east Syria region suffer from, S. S. said, “at the present farmers get seeds of medium quality, unlike that quality of seeds they got ten years ago. However, the price of these medium-quality seeds is good regarding the price of wheat. In addition, the price of fertilizers has jumped to nearly 600 USD per ton. Farmers also face some challenges manifested in inability to obtain loans or insecticides of good quality, as well as the lack of workers due to the immigration of young men or joining the ranks of Syria Democratic Forces.”
Also, S. S. has accused the Autonomous Administration of “ignoring the agriculture sector greatly,” where many farmers were forced to abandon cultivation and work in other sectors. He added “although the Syrian Jazeera region, particularly in Al-Darbasiyyah among the area where agriculture sector is relatively stable, is a food basket to the entire country, the Autonomous Administration’s negligence has led to unwelcome deterioration of agriculture.”
In Tel Tamr area in the northern countryside of Al-Hasakah, large spaces of farmlands have sustained considerable damage due to the low rainfall during winter, according to SOHR sources. Some areas have become free of plants almost completely, as the land has not got the needed water or irrigation wells. Other crops sustained partial damage over the increase in prices of fuel in duty-free stores, where farmers could not get enough fuel from the Autonomous Administration, the holder of power in this area and the body responsible for the agriculture sector.
Moreover, SOHR activists in Ain Al-Arab city (Kobani) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo have reported that large swathes of wheat and barley farmlands have been damaged due to the low rainfall which led to a delay in the growth of several crops, mainly wheat.
The Autonomous Administration attempts to show that it pays attention to agriculture sector, supports farmers and facilitates their work by granting them diesel allowances for low prices, despite the farmers’ complaints over the lack of support. On February 27, the “General Fuel Directorate” of the Autonomous Administration announced suspension of the distribution of the second batch of diesel allowances provided to farmers in the region. The directorate has justified and attributed this decision to the increasing demand by the farmers to obtain diesel to save their crops due to the drought which hit the region.
The poor harvest season in north-east Syria region has manifested itself in the increase in prices of basic products, including vegetables and food, where the region’s residents are suffering greatly from dreadful living conditions. In addition, the average wages of workers and employees’ salaries in north-east Syria are low, although the region is rich of oil wells. Also, this region had exported large amounts of agriculture crops and products to several countries around the world a few years ago.
On March 15, SOHR sources reported that directorates administrating bread bakeries in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration issued decisions allowing bakeries owners to mix wheat flour with corn flour in the wake of the acute shortage of wheat and wheat flour in the region.
Meanwhile, SDF-controlled areas experienced public discontent over the poor quality of bread, despite promises by relevant authorities to improve the bread quality.
The local production of wheat in 2021 did not exceed 300,000 tons due to the reduced rainfall, so more amount of flour needed to be imported in order to meet the region’s need of flour. It is worth noting that the yearly production of wheat in north and east Syria had reached one million tons. The current yearly consumption in SDF-controlled areas approximates 650,000 tons.
While on March 24, SOHR sources reported complaints by the residents of Al-Raqqah city of the poor quality of bread which was “inedible,” as they described, as well as the high price of sugar in areas under the control of SDF and Autonomous Administration, which approximated 5,500 SYP per kilogram. In addition, a four-litre bottle of cooking oil reached 39,000 SYP. Also, a four-kilogram pack of ghee approximated 41,000 SYP.
In 2021, areas controlled by Syria Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration in north-east Syria region experienced several crises, including the decrease in the level of the Euphrates river water and lack of support provided by the Autonomous Administration to the farmers. While before 2011, this region was the most important agriculture area throughout Syria, and it secured the largest share of all Syrian provinces’ needs of wheat and some other crops.