(Zaman Al Wasl)- Cotton production has dramatically fell in the northeastern Hasaka province, while production almost disappeared in Eastern and Southern of Hasaka, due to high cost of culturing it and securing needed requirements, besides difficulties in selling it at acceptable prices to cover the cost of production at least.
Three farmers have left culturing cotton last year. They live in villages of Ras al-Ain and Abo Rasin, which are the best areas for agriculture for available water from superficial sources and artisans wells.
The farmers told Zaman al-Wasl that they abandoned planting cotton due to the high cost of the process and lack of support in securing seeds, compost and pesticides by the government.
Farmer Nayef al-Haso detailed that planting cotton has decreased due to preferring other harvests like wheat, lentils and parley due to low cost of production as they are rainfed plants. Besides the need for them therefore, they are sold easily. Besides that they do not need much watering and continuous treatment and work, added to the low productivity rate of cotton, as one acre provides only 150-160 kilogram of cotton. Moreover, if the water pump was broken down, it would need fixing for SYP 50,000 at least.
Al-Haso added that the first period of planting cotton is very costly, as he needs to hire workers with daily wages of SYP 500 at least. Added to high price of compost like the nitrate one, while the phosphate compost has disappeared.
The farmer mentioned that he was waiting for the prices to raise in order to sell his harvested cotton. He was planning to sell it to a textile workshop in the village of Mosharfa in Ras al-Ain for SYP 215 thousand . He explained that the regime offers 235 thousands for his harvest, but he needs to transport it to Hama.
Zahra, a lady used to work in harvesting cotton, she explained that previously she used to fill a big bag of 200 kilogram within a day and a half. but now, she with her 5 family members hardly can fill that size bag.
The lady attributed that drop in amount of cotton to bad quality due to lack of compost and pesticides, which resulted in infecting the cotton with worms.
Activist Malaz al-Yusuf explained that most fields in southern and eastern Hasaka have been turned into rainfed plants like wheat, parley and cumin due to easiness and low cost.
The activist mentioned that 90 % of artesian wells have stopped working due to continuous electricity cut off and high prices of fuel. Which restricted planting cotton to Northern of Hasaka in small areas compared to before the war.
Cotton planting is one of the harvests that need lots of work for a period lasts from April to September. Besides the need for watering and almost daily cleaning and care.
The regime government has estimated the harvest this year by 15 thousand tonnes, from the actual planted area of 4800 hectares out of 57 thousands Hectares. last year’s cotton harvest was 22 thousand tonnes, half of it was taken to regime’s controlled areas, while the rest was bunt in stores and only 200 tonnes were left.
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