RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Zahra al-Muhammad, 47, from the al-Kasrat area south of Raqqa, is unable to plant winter vegetables in her field as she has always done. This year, she and her family cannot afford to bear the costs.
Vegetable farmers in Raqqa complain about high prices of farming necessities, which are linked to a devaluing Syrian pound in relation to the dollar, and the absence of fuel necessary for irrigation.
Al-Muhammad said the increasingly high prices of winter vegetable farming supplies has forced her to make use of only a section of her land.
They have to operate generators to draw irrigation water out of wells, putting them back 2.500 Syrian pounds (SYP, $0.38) per liter of black market diesel.
Irrigation channels have laid unused for years. Instead, a large number of farmers depend on generators to draw water out of wells or the Euphrates River, incurring losses.
Administration support for the al-Kasrat farmers is nowhere to be found.
This year, Yasin al-Ramadan, 66, reduced the size of his arable land due to the high expenses related to plowing, fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. He blames regional authorities for the lack of support.
He buys all farming equipment in dollars, but sells it in Syrian pounds, incurring major losses, al-Ramadan added.
Each year that passes, the farming season becomes worse in the region; it used to be the most productive. “We never make any profits from our crops. The crop’s production does not cover the expenses of the cultivation,” he said.
In mid-January, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Agriculture and Irrigation Committee issued a circular stopping irrigation between January 15 and March 15.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani, and Qamishli in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.
Farmers told North Press that irrigation channels were closed starting in October 2022, making them dependent on rainwater. They demanded the period be shortened to February 15, describing it as too long.
Farmers who depend on generators for irrigation suffer additional losses as fuel for agriculture use has not been provided for them.
Mustafa al-Hilal, 45, had to stop harvesting his vegetable crops due to the low prices and sold his crops to herders as sheep’s feed.
This year’s production was very low compared to the costs of fertilizers, seeds and laborers, he said.
Winter vegetable farming was concentrated in the al-Kasrat area of Raqqa and used to be the main source of income for most locals. Increasingly, however, the region’s farmers are switching to planting fruit trees as a result of the high costs of seasonal farming.
The high prices of fertilizers and al-Hilal’s inability to buy pesticides and diesel on the black market caused a low yield and damage to his crops.
Similar to other farmers, he finds it increasingly difficult to irrigate his land. This year, he is renting out a section of his land to finance farming the remainder.
He hopes that the relevant authorities will support the farmers as their land is their only source of income.