Unprecedented rise of dollar and prices of materials in the absence of supply control on goods

Al-Shaddadi - NPA

Al Shaddadi – North-Press Agency

Bassem Shuwaikh

The suffering of the people of the town of al-Shaddadi, about 60km south of Hasakah, increase with a significant rise in the food prices, coinciding with the rise of the U.S. dollar exchange rate against the Syrian pound (lira).

Staggering rise

Residents of al-Shaddadi reason the high prices of materials back to the distance of their area to ​​commercial crossings, through which all supplies are secured, as well as the high exchange rate of the dollar against the Syrian pound, where they consider it as “staggering rise.” Husam al-Dakhil, a resident of al-Shaddadi, told North-Press that the region is witnessing a rise in prices by nearly 60%, noting that the monthly income per capita does not exceed $80, or about 60,000 SYP. He pointed out that the exchange rate of one dollar has exceeded 800 Syrian pounds, which increases the burden on the citizens, because the value is not commensurate with their daily income.

Reasons of the rise

According to al-Dakhil, one of the reasons for the high prices of materials, is the decline of the Syrian pound against the dollar, and the monopoly of traders of food supplies, and the weak supply control in the markets, and the region is far from the commercial crossings, through which all materials and supplies are entered. While Ali al-Badr, another resident of al-Shaddadi, stressed the same mentioned reasons for the high prices, adding that the materials are transferred from commercial crossings from one area to another until they are delivered in al-Shadadi, "The region is witnessing a significant rise in prices, due to the costs of transporting food supplies from the crossings into the town," he said.

In a related context, Khalil al-Rashid, another resident of al-Shaddadi, said that the region is experiencing difficult living conditions, by saying: "Prices are extremely high and there is no supply control in the markets." Al-Rasheed pointed out that the high prices weigh a great burden on the citizens, whose daily income do not exceed one thousand Syrian pounds.