Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Eqtsad)- The Syrian rural areas, especially rural Damascus, have lost its characteristics and started to lose its three distinctive features: people, trees and buildings after 5 years of devastating war waged by the regime and regional allies.
Comparing between the eastern Ghouta suburbs near Damascus 5 years ago and with its condition today is shocking, as Ghouta, once dubbed as Damascenes' paradise, have become unable to feed its people, while it used to distribute products on all Damascus and other city.
Ghouta, which is also known as “the lung of Damascus”, has turned into sterile land.
The seasonal vegetable and fruit crops that used to feed the Gota population and capital, have disappeared by bombing, intentional cutting of trees. Moreover, even waters has been contaminated by toxic gases, especially in the city of Duma which used to sell vegetables three times cheaper than Damascus.
Villages of Nashabiyah, Hazrama, Qasimiyah Outaya , Bala, Qaysa and others, all almost about to become empty due to people' departure fearing of bombing, killing and arresting, all that affected the production of olives and wheat they used to produce.
In regard to dairy and milk, Yalda, the town in Eastern countryside of Damascus, was known of its wealth in livestock, however, since the beginning of the revolution, it lost most of its animal as regime’s soldiers during incursions directed their fire to cows and sheeps as well as humans, barns turned into mixture of animals’ meats, due to cannons and tanks shells, In the second year of the revolution, Yalda lost more than 1500 cows.
It is estimated that number of cows killed in last five years was more than 10000, added to what has been sold or stolen or even died of starvation.
People of villages like Babila, Otaibeh, Deir Salman and Ahmadiya, were displaced and deported to other areas, and these villages were filled with miserable clusters of people displaced from other areas in Syria. The same fate affected areas of Damascus like Qadam and Kafer-Sooseh, where their fields were lost by using them in barriers and as battle fields, beside farmers’ abandoning of their lands fearing of arrest.
Jabal al-Sheikh and Kalamoon are not an exclusion as they have been suffering of displacement, killing and arresting. Jabal al-Sheikh which was known of producing water, milk , dairy products, olive and wheat, now it is under siege and its regions are experiencing battles of regime’s army and its supporters against farmers, and prevent them from getting manure and tree saplings.
Kalamoon is controlled by Hezbollah, which allow nothing to reach to the capital’s markets apart from some raisins, dry figs, honey and molasses.
The scene presented above reflects the reality on ground for Damascus and its countryside, where prices have skyrocketed and reach to unprecedented levels and they increased more than 600% due to lack of production resulted from continuous battles, looting citizens and transport vehicles by the regime barriers, and increase the cost of fuel and fertilizer. All that increased poverty of both sides, the consumer and the producer similarly.
Consumer’s income is no longer able to keep pace with the increasing costs of production, and the farmers have huge expenses related to difficulty in obtaining raw materials, as well as siege forced on them, and fear that the planting season may not be completed and reach to harvest stage.
Generally, almost all products of fields and farmer have become extremely expensive and exhausting for both sides, as prices have risen in Damascus above 600% since the beginning of the revolution.
Milk price in the countryside 150 Syrian pounds per one kilogram, and in the city 175 Syrian pounds. Cheese price for one kilogram in the countryside between 900-1000 Syrian pounds and in the city between 1100-1200 Syrian pounds. Yogurt in the countryside 160 S.P, and city 185 S.P for one kilogram. An egg is 30 Syrian pounds in the countryside while 40 in the city.
Thus, both sides seem to be poor, desperate and unable to live in a country divided on thieves, criminals and crisis opportunists, and a regime that brought them all. (Eqtsad is Zaman al Wasl's business newspaper)
(Eqtsad)- The Syrian rural areas, especially rural Damascus, have lost its characteristics and started to lose its three distinctive features: people, trees and buildings after 5 years of devastating war waged by the regime and regional allies.
Comparing between the eastern Ghouta suburbs near Damascus 5 years ago and with its condition today is shocking, as Ghouta, once dubbed as Damascenes' paradise, have become unable to feed its people, while it used to distribute products on all Damascus and other city.
Ghouta, which is also known as “the lung of Damascus”, has turned into sterile land.
The seasonal vegetable and fruit crops that used to feed the Gota population and capital, have disappeared by bombing, intentional cutting of trees. Moreover, even waters has been contaminated by toxic gases, especially in the city of Duma which used to sell vegetables three times cheaper than Damascus.
Villages of Nashabiyah, Hazrama, Qasimiyah Outaya , Bala, Qaysa and others, all almost about to become empty due to people' departure fearing of bombing, killing and arresting, all that affected the production of olives and wheat they used to produce.
In regard to dairy and milk, Yalda, the town in Eastern countryside of Damascus, was known of its wealth in livestock, however, since the beginning of the revolution, it lost most of its animal as regime’s soldiers during incursions directed their fire to cows and sheeps as well as humans, barns turned into mixture of animals’ meats, due to cannons and tanks shells, In the second year of the revolution, Yalda lost more than 1500 cows.
It is estimated that number of cows killed in last five years was more than 10000, added to what has been sold or stolen or even died of starvation.
People of villages like Babila, Otaibeh, Deir Salman and Ahmadiya, were displaced and deported to other areas, and these villages were filled with miserable clusters of people displaced from other areas in Syria. The same fate affected areas of Damascus like Qadam and Kafer-Sooseh, where their fields were lost by using them in barriers and as battle fields, beside farmers’ abandoning of their lands fearing of arrest.
Jabal al-Sheikh and Kalamoon are not an exclusion as they have been suffering of displacement, killing and arresting. Jabal al-Sheikh which was known of producing water, milk , dairy products, olive and wheat, now it is under siege and its regions are experiencing battles of regime’s army and its supporters against farmers, and prevent them from getting manure and tree saplings.
Kalamoon is controlled by Hezbollah, which allow nothing to reach to the capital’s markets apart from some raisins, dry figs, honey and molasses.
The scene presented above reflects the reality on ground for Damascus and its countryside, where prices have skyrocketed and reach to unprecedented levels and they increased more than 600% due to lack of production resulted from continuous battles, looting citizens and transport vehicles by the regime barriers, and increase the cost of fuel and fertilizer. All that increased poverty of both sides, the consumer and the producer similarly.
Consumer’s income is no longer able to keep pace with the increasing costs of production, and the farmers have huge expenses related to difficulty in obtaining raw materials, as well as siege forced on them, and fear that the planting season may not be completed and reach to harvest stage.
Generally, almost all products of fields and farmer have become extremely expensive and exhausting for both sides, as prices have risen in Damascus above 600% since the beginning of the revolution.
Milk price in the countryside 150 Syrian pounds per one kilogram, and in the city 175 Syrian pounds. Cheese price for one kilogram in the countryside between 900-1000 Syrian pounds and in the city between 1100-1200 Syrian pounds. Yogurt in the countryside 160 S.P, and city 185 S.P for one kilogram. An egg is 30 Syrian pounds in the countryside while 40 in the city.
Thus, both sides seem to be poor, desperate and unable to live in a country divided on thieves, criminals and crisis opportunists, and a regime that brought them all. (Eqtsad is Zaman al Wasl's business newspaper)
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