By Iman al-Nasser
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Salem, who cultivates 3 hectares of irrigated lands, complains about absence of the role of agricultural associations in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria. He and his fellow farmers suffer from lack of support.
Salem al-Khalaf, 56, a resident of al-Huwija village, in western Deir ez-Zor, says that he did not receive any support for his 3-hectare land.
The agricultural sector in Deir ez-Zor is experiencing a significant deterioration exacerbated by a lack of support, the depreciation of the Syrian pound, inactive agricultural associations, and escalating fuel prices. The collective impact of these factors has led to extensive suffering among the farming community.
Al-Khalaf says that the rise in diesel prices has increased his suffering, given that his land needed to be irrigated six times, but he could only afford the cost of four times.
The farmer believes that the support is “very little”, calling on concerned associations to help farmers saving their lands, especially in light of the lack of irrigation water.
Due to the lack of support, Jad’an al-Aboud, 60, who lives in the village of al-Hawi, western Deir ez-Zor, was forced to only cultivate part of his land and leave a large area uncultivated like his peers, even though agriculture is his only source of livelihood.
Subeihi al-Mahmoud, a 50-year-old farmer from the village of Hawaij Thiab in western Deir ez-Zor, has refrained from cultivating a portion of his land due to the increase in diesel prices. He explains that using a diesel-fired generator for irrigation purposes would incur significant expenses, rendering the cultivation of that land financially unviable, which he describes as “a loss.”
Farmers called for supporting them with diesel, seeds and fertilizers, but their demands are yet to be addressed.
Muhammad al-Hussein, an official in the Agricultural Directorate of the Autonomous Administration of northeastern Syria (AANES) in Deir ez-Zor, said that support allocated for farmers was reduced by 10 percent instead of 25 percent.
He added that they held a meeting with the AANES’ Fuel and Agriculture committees and the AANES’ Executive Council in Deir ez-Zor, to clarify why farmers were not delivered their allocations of diesel despite submitting many complaints. As a result, the Fuel Committee revealed “the material is not available.”
He pointed out that they reject the decision to reduce support, because it affects farmers and negatively reflects on the region’s economy.
The General Council of the AANES decided on Wednesday, during a meeting held to discuss the economic conditions in northeastern Syria, to increase diesel support for irrigated lands by 25 percent.