MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – Recently Mahmoud fired 40 workers after a number of production lines at his facility were reduced, owing to lack of diesel provided by the Fuels Board in Manbij, northern Syria.
42-year-old Mahmoud al-Jouma owns a facility for melting metals in Manbij which recycles scrap iron to raw material.
The facility secures 110 job opportunities for locals in Manbij, working in iron melting furnaces with a similar number of workers collection scraps, according to the owner of the company.
Since the facility is a big one run by three generators that consume 60 liters of diesel weekly, the Fuel Board provides al-Jouma with 30 liters of diesel, so he is obliged to buy the remaining amount from the black market for 300 Syrian pounds (SYP) each liter.
In Manbij, one of the biggest industrial cities in northeast Syria, owners of facilities and factories complain about amount of diesel provided by the Fuels Board, pushing number of them to reduce production and thus a number of workers lose their sources of livings.
Al-Jouma said he would stop the work proper in case this current situation trails, “I buy each litter for 1.300 SYP from black market .This facility should be supported in order to go on.”
He demanded he is supported and his need of diesel is met because lack of diesel is a biggest obstacle he faces.
Although the Economy Committee and Industry and Fuels boards in Manbij via their inspections substantiate the need of al-Jouma of the amounts his facilities consume, the latter calls for creating committees to inspect the facility and [specify] its need of diesel by concerned people.
Aboud al-Ali, an administrator in the Industry Board in Manbij and its countryside, attributes reduction in rations of diesel allocated for factories and facilities to the allocations distributed to locals for winter housing consumption besides an increase in the number of industrial facilities in Manbij in general.
According to previous reports by North Press, in 2020 there were some 200 industrial facilities registered in the Trade and Industry Chamber in the city.
In 2021, the figure rose to 250 facilities and in 2022 it reached 720 facilities including foodstuff, sweets, medicines, iron melting and recycling, disinfectants and fodder ones, according to the Manbij Industry Board.
These industrial facilities play an important role in meeting needs of the city and securing job opportunities for youths.
Manbij is a key resource for transferring goods to areas in northeast Syria.
The city of Manbij which is one of the main industrial centers in northeast Syria currently, it is a communication hub and a trade center that connects the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) – held areas with those of the Syrian government forces on one hand and with those held by the Turkish-backed armed Syrian opposition factions, on the other.
The administrator in the Manbij Industry Board indicates that supporting facilities with diesel could be via a specific program for each facility extending between one up to two weeks according to the working hours.
In light of this, each facility could obtain its allocation based on its work.
Al-Ali affirmed factories and facilities’ allocations would be reduced until distribution of heating oil for housing consumption is finished.
However, statements by an official of Manbij Civil Administration did not appease Jouma al-Musa, owner of an iron rod factory, who in turn complains about the impact lack of diesel has on the production.
Al-Musa says reduction in diesel pushed him to reduce production lines in his factory from 40 tons to 20 tons per day.
He recently receives 16.000 liters of diesel instead of 25.000, the amount his factory actually needs.