Agriculture becomes highly costing amid discouraging decisions by AANES
KOBANI, Syria (North press) – Whenever Abdullah manages to find a solution to deal with high farming expenses, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) makes a new decision that would ruin everything once again. The farmer is daunted with high prices of fertilizers, seeds and plowing.
The farmer was going to be able to compensate the high costs in production. However, the man has become really worried after hearing that the AANES intends to raise the price of a liter of diesel up to 1.500 Syrian pounds ($0.3). This is because he depends on power generators, to water his farmland, which consume large amounts of diesel.
Abdullah Hoshan, 45, from the village of Cheqel Wiran, 35 km to the west of the city of Kobani, says he has 30 hectares in which he intends to cultivate wheat.
Each hectare needs 400 kilogram of seeds. That is 13 tons. In case he buys it according to the new price set by the AANES, seeds would cost him 29.5 million Syrian pounds ($5.550).
Hoshan goes on to say my lands need six tons of black fertilizer that cost $6.600, not to mention urea fertilizers that could cost minimum $3.500. Plowing the farmland could cost $1.500.
Statement and studies
To verify the circulated news regarding the rise in diesel prices, North Press contacted Omar Kanjo, co-chair of AANES’ Agriculture and Irrigation Board in the Euphrates Region who said that they heard rumors from social media outlets, but “up to now, nothing has been passed in this regard.”
Nevertheless, North Press contacted Sadiq al-Khalaf, co-chair of the General Fuel Directorate, but the official declined to comment.
However, Sadiq had told a local radio that they had been studying to raise the price of diesel to 1500 Syrian pound per liter for farmers, but he said that 1300 of 1500 would return to the farmer, “and this makes diesel almost for free.”
According to Sadiq, this approach would be applied to prevent waste in diesel and control fake areas. “This could be the optimal model,” he said.
Hoshan says irrigated lands need heavy costs, and that the matter is not so simple.
Such a mechanism would increase the plight of Hoshan among others. Hoshan would be compelled to pay 60 million Syrian pounds ($11.320) only for diesel, let alone other costs.
There are additional costs paid by farmers, such as maintenance, oil, manpower, harvesting and insecticides, “and all are high,” he said.
Wrong decisions
Mahmoud says agriculture has been on the decline recently. The majority of farmers are considering to give up agriculture owing to the wrong decisions passed and lack of plans from the concerned authorities.
Mahmoud Zekko, 46, from the village of Zerik, 32 km to the west of Kobani city, says, “These decisions amount to the declaration of war against famers. Abstention by the administration [AANES] to buy corn, prevention of digging wells and the diesel prices all impinge upon the farmer to a great extent.”
He wonders about the feasibility of this decisions, and intends to give up farming because of them. He owns 20 hectares that would entail heavy burdens. Climate does not help Zekko to depend on rainfed crops, notably after the heavy loses farmers incurred in the last two years.
Muhammad Ali, from the village of Qordine, 35 in west Kobani, complains about the high costs of farming and the “unfair” decisions made by the AANES that do not encourage farmers to sow their lands.
Ali waters his lands via generators that need large amounts of diesel. Big generators are used to extract water from deep wells; some of which reach 70 meters.
Recently, the AANES issued two decisions drawing discontent by farmers. One of which was abstention from buying corn and the second prevents digging wells and still there is a one to sell diesel with high costs to famers.
Farmers say these decisions could make agriculture in the region on the decline, although the vast majority of people in north and northeast Syria depend on agriculture as a main source of income.