Production returns to the industrial area of Aleppo, amid minor governmental support
Aleppo – North-Press Agency
Sam al-Ahmad
More than 550 factories and industrial facilities have returned to operate in the industrial city of Sheikh Najjar, northeastern Aleppo, since the Syrian governmental forces had taken control over the area, three years ago. The city which was considered as the largest industrial complex in the Middle East in terms of area and the number of factories and industrial facilities, was severely damaged, as other industrial areas in Aleppo and its countryside, but it stood up again and returned to operate despite the many difficulties hindering the return of the industrial life to work with a high production capacity.
Mazen Meera, an owner of an industrial food production facility in Sheikh Najjar told North-Press: "Although more than three years have passed since the restart of my industrial facility for food production, until now things have not settled, especially since the local product needs an effective governmental support, in addition to customs measures that allow us to import the raw materials at an acceptable price, which has not been achieved so far.”
While Abdul Hamid Falaha, the owner of a textile factory in Sheikh Najjar told North-Press: "Despite the difficulties we face, we must restart the industrial work again, Aleppo must return as it was an industrial center, not only in Syria but in the Middle East.” He added: "The only beneficiary of the destruction of Aleppo’s industry is the Turkish neighbor, which through its backed armed opposition groups has contributed to the theft and destruction of most of the industrial facilities and factories, especially the textile and clothing industry, which in the past had excelled to the Turkish industry, so the industry must be launched in Aleppo again, regardless of the difficulties and the little profits that we gain.”
Despite the fact that hundreds of factories and industrial facilities in Sheikh Najjar area have returned to work, these factories are still operating with a production capacity of no more than 40%, where the industrialist Mohammed Sukkar, attributed that for a number of reasons, he told North-Press about. Sukkar said: "Perhaps the most important of these reasons is the instability of the U.S. dollar price and its significant increase against the Syrian pound (lira), in addition to customs procedures, the spread of security checkpoints and the obstacles and problems that they cause to the movement of transports and discharging goods and the arrival of raw materials into the factories.”
He also added: "The lack of an external market and the embargo imposed on Syria, besides the absence of the labor force especially the experienced people, who are mostly reservists in the Syrian army or migrated out of the country, all of which led to a decline in the production of the industrial area to low levels, from my point of view.”
The return of Sheikh Najjar as an industrial city that has its weight in the Syrian industry and economy depends on improving economic conditions and increasing the governmental support, despite the Syrian government's plans to revive Aleppo’s industry and make it a lever for the Syrian economy, this support is still limited in the opinion of many industrialists in Aleppo, who have no choice but to continue working and raising the level of production, whatever the difficulties might be.