TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – In light of the continuous collapse of the value of the Syrian pound against foreign currencies, Khaled Ibrahim, a breadwinner of a family of 14, refrains from buying many things and stick with buying only the necessities including vegetables, sugar, tea, bread and grains instead of meat and others.
From the main market in the town of Tel Tamr, north of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, the man says, “Previously, I used to buy meat twice a week, but now I hardly buy it once a month, we gave up the fruit completely.”
The exchange rate of the Syrian pound is witnessing a continuous decline, as it reaches on the black market 4,000 SYP per 1 US dollar, which poses great living difficulties on local residents due to the lack of job opportunities which district their ability to maintain their daily needs.
The effects of the current economic crisis on the purchasing power of the residents of the small town, which is witnessing security tensions due to the continuous Turkish bombing, become clear.
Tel Tamr, which has a population of about 25,000 and is 30 km away from the Syrian-Turkish border, is of strategic importance as it is a junction on the M4 Highway linking the Jazira region in northeast Syria to Aleppo governorate in northwest.
The people now are tending to satisfy their basic needs.
Ibrahim talked about his worries regarding the high prices of all materials in comparison to his deteriorated incomes from planting and livestock.
He pointed out that he is currently relying on selling his sheep, whose prices are declining, “I sell one sheep per 100,000 SYP, which does not meet the needs of my family for few days.”
According to the shop owners, the market is witnessing a major stagnation, as a result of the decline in agricultural seasons and the deterioration of the livestock sector in the past two years, which has affected the purchasing power, forcing a large segment of customers to change their spending priorities.
In addition to the climatic changes, the town has been subjected to frequent shelling by Turkish forces and their affiliated armed factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), in a blatant violation of the 2019 ceasefire agreement.
Yassin al-Darwish, a resident of Tel Tamr countryside, said that the climatic changes in the last two years have caused great losses to his income, which depends on raising livestock.
“I can no longer buy many basic things such as fruits and others, I only buy vegetables, sugar and flour, even Eid clothes I cannot afford to buy, our situation is very bad,” he added sadly.
Despite the lack of studies on the repercussions of the economic crisis and its impact on the purchasing power of families, the market movement confirms that most residents focus on the basics of life and put other luxuries aside under the current circumstances.
In a vegetable and fruit stall, Maryam al-Jassem said that for a long time she has not bought new clothes, and she no longer intends to visit her family, because of their bad living conditions, which depends on raising livestock.
“There are no job opportunities, my husband is sick, and our living situation is deteriorating,” said al-Jassem, carrying a few bags full of vegetables.
Al-Jassem, who is a resident of Mount Abdul Aziz region and a mother of seven children, indicated that all she can buy are bread and vegetables.
“For more than six months, we have not bought chicken, and we have not bought fruits for two years,” she concluded.