The opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria are witnessing an almost complete cut-off of sugar in the markets which pushes people to pile in long queues in front of shops, groceries to obtain a small part of the main commodity.
Informed sources told Zaman al-Wasl that sugar was suddenly cut off almost three weeks ago within the Idlib region, which is controlled by the "Salvation Government", the civil wing of Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), attributing the severe lack in sugar staple to the expiration of sugar importing contracts from Turkey since the beginning of this year.
Hamdo Al-Jassem, Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Economy and Resources in the Salvation Government, told Al-Sham News Agency, last Sunday, that the reason for the sugar interruption came as a result of the difficult weather factors, which negatively affected the land transport from Turkey to the liberated areas, in addition to the end of the sugar contracts signed with the Turkish side its non-renewal.
The Ministry of Economy and Resources had issued a decision last weeks to supply sugar bags of 50 kilograms to the approved stores at a price of ($38.5), and set the selling price of sugar per kilogram and within retail stores at a price (90 US cents) or its equivalent in Turkish lira, which means an increase in the prices reached up to 5 TL per kilo.
The local residents believe that the sudden interruption of sugar, and the rapid increase in the price of the staple, indicates the government’s monopoly because it is sold at the prices it imposes and raised in a way that suits it, especially since the government imports sugar from certain traders loyal to the HTS.
Northwestern Syria is home to 3.5 million refugees but large areas is controlled by the Islamist HTS fighters.
The suffering of Idlib residents is increasing in light of the high prices of basic staples such as foodstuffs of all kinds, fuel, bread, and vegetables, in conjunction with the “Salvation Government” domination of all economic resources in the region and commercial crossings, and the high unemployment rate in the region, without finding solutions to alleviate the suffering the people.
The Syrian conflict has claimed 500,000 lives and has displaced 13,2 million people since it erupted in March 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests.
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