By Fatima Khaled
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Over the past six years, following the expulsion of the Islamic State (ISIS) from Raqqa, north Syria, Najm al-Abdullah has been passing by a significant sugar factory on his way to work. Unfortunately, this facility was severely damaged during the conflict in the region.
Al-Abdullah, 53, a resident from Raqqa, wonders about the potential impact of rehabilitating that factory and other destroyed facilities in the region.
During the control of ISIS over Raqqa, several facilities in the area were destroyed, including the sugar and gas factories, the old and new bridges of Raqqa, and the cement grain silos. Only the old bridge has been restored, which does not serve the entire population of the region.
Great impact
Al-Abdullah further explained that it would be extremely beneficial for the city of Raqqa, its outskirts, its residents, and its workforce if those facilities were restored. This benefit would have a wide-reaching impact on the residents.
He told North Press that the industrial facilities and factories that were destroyed during the war in the region have had a significant and diverse impact on various sectors.
Some of the larger facilities have not received much attention from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and organizations operating in the region. The AANES sates that the high restoration costs as the main obstacle to bringing them back into operation.
According to a report by the Finance Board, affiliated with the AANES, the lack of development in investment expenses poses a significant financial threat to the AANES.
In 2022, 42 percent of the general budget was allocated to lands, 29 percent to buildings, 16 percent to machinery and equipment, six percent to transportation, four percent to furniture, two percent to computers and accessories, and one percent to other projects, according to the report.
By examining the provided figures, it is clear that the investment allocations have a consumption-oriented nature and do not contribute to achieving economic and social development in northeastern Syria. Not only are these investment allocations low, but are also characterized by poor distribution among projects.
The previous year’s budget was primarily spent on non-productive projects, such as purchasing furniture, cars, computers, and building maintenance, according to the report.
The 2022 expenditures did not include any major strategic projects, such as addressing the electricity crisis, industrial development, or rural development.
Significant destruction
The regions in northeastern Syria are suffering from extensive damage to infrastructure, particularly in the education, health, agriculture, and economic sectors, due to funding issues. There are 488 schools that have been either completely or partially destroyed, along with the irrigation channels, factories, and facilities.
Ahmad Youssef, the co-chair of the Finance Board, states that the AANES-held areas are operating based on “maximizing consumer spending by opening restaurants, and purchasing cars, among other things. We focus too much on luxury goods, but the production process is weak.”
“More than a thousand workers from Raqqa’s population could work in the sugar factory if it is rehabilitated,” al-Abdullah said.
If rehabilitated, he believes that farmers will resume cultivating the sugar beet crop, which was present before the destruction of the factory and ceased afterward, and this will have positive impact on the livelihoods of the population.
In addition to providing employment opportunities, he said, “It will ensure the availability of sugar in the market, which can be traded by the AANES or consumed by the residents.”
The same applies to the gas plant. The halt of its operations has significantly affected the lives of the residents due to the scarcity of gas, forcing them to wait for long periods to obtain a household gas cylinders, according to al-Abdullah.
Youssef al-Qassem, a 50-year-old resident of Raqqa, believes that the absence of such facilities in Raqqa places a burden on its residents in obtaining the products they produce, such as sugar, which continues to experience surge in its prices.
“Six years have passed since the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS. Now it is necessary to start rehabilitating these facilities and bringing them back into service,” he said.
The cultivation of sugar beets, which a large number of farmers and workers used to rely on, has completely disappeared from the list of agricultural crops in Raqqa.
Abdulhamid al-Ali, head of Farmers Union in Raqqa, affiliated with the AANES, believes that the destruction of facilities, particularly agricultural ones, had a significant impact on agriculture and farmers.
He told North Press that the rehabilitation of these facilities is crucial for the agricultural process in the region, including the Raqqa Sugar Company that was destroyed during the war.
He emphasized the necessity for the relevant authorities to work on reconstructing the industrial facilities and restoring them to operation in a way that serves the population and the workers.
The region witnessed a bountiful wheat season, but it encountered numerous problems and obstacles in the process of receiving the harvest from farmers due to the lack of sufficient grain silos for storage. The major silo facility, the cement silos in Raqqa, is no longer in service, according to al-Ali.
He emphasized the importance of rehabilitating the sugar factory in Raqqa, as it holds significance in the agricultural process. Sugar beet is a strategic crop in the region, with importance in both industrial and agricultural sectors for farmers and livestock breeders, as it also provides feed for livestock.
One of the projects implemented by the AANES in the past two years is the construction of a Maize dryer in Raqqa, with the aim of encouraging farmers to cultivate the crop.
However, the dryer did not meet the required standards and was not adequately prepared, resulting in its failure to benefit farmers during the corn season, according to al-Ali.
The concerned authorities within the AANES are urging for the reconstruction and proper rehabilitation of the affected industrial and agricultural facilities in Raqqa, including the sugar factory and corn dryer, to ensure they yield positive outcomes and benefits for all.