Apple harvest at risk in Syria, Regime’s militias seize fields, destroy apple trees

(Eqtsad)- Trading of apple harvest in the province of Homs has started few days ago, which makes a quarter of Syria’s total harvest. 

Eqtsad correspondent in Homs reported that the apple harvest this year has ranged between 120-150 thousand tonnes, noting that prices of apple varied from area to another, as first class apple is sold for SYP 100 for a kilogram, in areas of production  in Western countryside of Homs, while the third class  for SYP 40. 

In Homs city the price reached to SYP 200 and in Damascus to SYP 350 for a kilogram of first class.

  

Farmers in villages of Kifram, Hasour and Maqlis complained that they were forced to sell their harvest at price lower than production cost due to greediness of traders. 

Farmers added that they face difficulties in storing their products due to bad quality of pesticide  and difficulty in storing apple in fridges due to continuous electricity cut-off which last for 12 hours many times.

Abo George, one of the most experienced farmer in Western Homs detailed: “we have more than 1000 fridge in the area with capacity to cover 70% of the apple produced in the area, but due to continuous electricity cut-off and expensive fuel price, those fridge turned into piece of metal.

Added to the problem of fridges, farmers according to Abo George find difficulties in providing plastic boxes special for fridge as the cost is SYP 1500 each and farmers in villages of Kifram, Fahel, Rabah and Maqls need more than 400 boxes at a cost of half a million Syrian Pounds. 

In regard to selling the harvest to the regime’s Corporation for storing and Trading, he explained that it only buy 10% of the amount, about 10-15 Tonnes. The rest of harvest is sold to traders and dealers, while small amount is kept in homes and fridge for next spring.

In regard to quaity of apple, Abo George explained that first class apples have a diameter 7-8 cm, while for the  second class 6-7 cm, and third 5-6 cm and fourth has a diameter under 5 cm.

In a relevant content, Eqtsad monitored that production of the town of Qusayr in southern West countryside of Homs has decreased in the last 4 years to less than 10 thousand tonnes, while it was 40 thousand tonnes in 2010. It used to have the second rank in the country. 

Moreover, Eqtsad obtained information of special sources reported that Hezbollah militias have after controlling the town of Qusayr and surrounding villages 3 years ago started burning apple trees around al-Asi river and turn them into wood, or seizing the rest of the trees and transporting the harvest to Lebanon after displacing more than 90% of farmers from the town.