Farmers protest Syria’s wheat purchase price
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Hundreds of farmers and agricultural workers staged protests on Sunday in the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, rejecting the wheat purchase price recently announced by the Syrian Ministry of Economy.
The protesters said the pricing set by the Syrian government was insufficient and did not match the production costs and financial burdens they faced during the current agricultural season.
On Saturday, the Syrian Ministry of Economy announced the purchase price of one ton of wheat at 46,000 Syrian pounds in the new currency, equivalent to around 330 US dollars according to the current exchange rate.
In Raqqa, large crowds of farmers gathered at al-Na’eem Roundabout in the city center to protest the government’s wheat pricing decision.
Protesters blocked roads at the roundabout and demanded an increase in the wheat purchase price, describing the announced rate as “unfair and unjust” and saying it failed to cover the sharply rising production costs incurred throughout the season.
Meanwhile, videos circulated on social media showing convoys of farmers from rural areas of Deir ez-Zor heading toward the city to protest in front of the governorate building.
Participants in the protests said the rising prices of diesel fuel, fertilizers, seeds, and transportation had placed heavy pressure on farmers, stressing that the announced price did not reflect the scale of losses and effort endured during the agricultural season.
Wheat production remains a key source of income in northeast Syria, where agriculture constitutes one of the region’s main economic sectors.