{"id":54733,"date":"2021-02-18T16:15:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T16:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=54733"},"modified":"2021-02-18T16:15:38","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T16:15:38","slug":"farmers-cultivate-frontline-lands-with-cumin-in-syrias-tel-tamr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/54733\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmers cultivate frontline lands with cumin in Syria\u2019s Tel Tamr"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEL TAMR, Syria (North Press) – <\/strong>Farmers of Tel Tamr in the northern countryside of Hasakah, northeast Syria, have cultivated their lands with cumin despite scarce rainfall and being near the frontlines with the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The farmers seem to be hopeful, since cumin cultivating does not need much rainfall and it is sold in American dollars, which does not cause them lose as barley and wheat crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tel Tamr countryside resident Tamer Muhammad said that he took risk this year and “cultivated 70 acres with cumin, despite the increasing exchange rate of American dollar.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I bought each kilo for 8,000 Syrian pounds (SYP); I think the price is now 10,000 SYP” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange rate of each American dollar exceeded 3,300 SYP during the past few days in Qamishli and Hasakah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor rainfall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad pointed out that he was late in cultivating cumin because of the poor rainfall this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We took a risk and now we are waiting for the rainfall that we cannot expect, but cumin does not need a lot of rainfall,” he told North Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syrian meteorological data indicated that the village of Tel Baidar, near Tal Tamr witnessed only five millimeters of precipitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If rainfall is late, the farmers who have cultivated cumin, will face another problem, which is the delayed growth of weeds after sowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous years’ cultivation of wild weeds, barley, wheat, and lentils affect the growth of cumin, and uprooting them through pesticides and workers costs huge amounts of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The humidity in the soil following last year’s heavy rainfall will cause the cumin plant to fade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optimism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Cumin cultivation will make the lands more productive in the coming years, since we have cultivated them with barley and wheat for four years which caused them to lose their fertility,” farmer Abdulbaqi Koti said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koti seems optimistic when pointing out that cumin needs two or three rainfalls during 40 days in order to germinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The estimate of lands cultivated with cumin in Tel Tamr is about 10,000 acres, according to local farmers.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s cultivation plan of the Agriculture Directorate in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in Hasakah allocates about 8% of lands for cultivating aromatic and legume crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Administrator in the Plant Production Committee in Tel Tamr Ibrahim al-Hajar said, “We will visit the lands cultivated with cumin.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is possible to water cumin crops with sprinklers, and those who need irrigation, we will provide them with fuel,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out to the decline in the cultivated lands “since most of our lands are near the front and the scarce rainfall worsened the situation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting by Dilsoz Youssef<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n