Bread crisis continues in Syria’s Jazira as private bakeries shut down
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – 65-year-old Ismail Dawoud, an IDP from the city of Sere Kaniye residing in Qamishli, makes the long trip from his home to the automated bakery every two days to buy bread. Holding a bread bundle in his left hand a crutch which helps him walk in his right, he says that he used to easily secure his family’s bread from food stores near his home.
Most private bakeries in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli stopped operations two days ago, calling on the Autonomous Administration in North East Syria (AANES) to raise the set price of a bread bundle due to the high price of flour, which is not commensurate with production costs.
Waiting on data
Liman Heseno, vice president of the Economy and Agriculture Authority in AANES’ Jazira region, told North Press that they are currently working on “preparing a study on the problem to come to an appropriate decision.”
Heseno suggested that the study, which is being prepared by the Bakeries Directorate, the Economy Committee, and the Food Pricing Committee of the Economy and Agriculture Authority, will be completed in a few days.
Qamishli resident Masoud Amouka says that he has not been able to obtain bread all day.
“It is inconceivable,” he says, shocked, “in our country known for its abundance of wheat, that there is no bread available for our families.”
A significant percentage of families buy bread from subsidized bakeries because of the low quality and quantity of bread produced by public bakeries. The shutdown of private bakeries for subsidized bread affects not only Qamishli, but also Hasakah, Derik, and other regions of northeast Syria, according to North Press correspondents.
Special requests
Bakery inspector Hassan Masour says that subsidized bakeries in Qamishli are only filling restaurant orders.
On Sunday, the owner of a private bakery in Qamishli, on condition of anonymity, said that the cost of producing bread has “become very high after the price of flour rose to an unreasonable level.”
In July, the Economy and Agriculture Authority of the Jazira region set the price of a bundle of subsidized bread at 500 SYP, with a weight of 700 grams (± 5 grams). A North Press video taken last week showed that there is a weight discrepancy between individual bread bundles, sometimes as much as 100 grams per bundle.
The price of a bag of flour recently reached 40,000 SYP after an increase in wheat prices, according to bakery owners, who add that continuing to sell their bread at old prices will lead to economic loss.
It is expected that officials at the authority will meet with the owners of private bakeries in the coming days to discuss the problem of high flour prices and demand an increase in the price of a bread bundle, according to officials in the Economy Authority.