Due to low level of the Euphrates, poor rainfall.. people resort to manual harvesting

The regions of North and East Syria are experiencing a state of drought, as a result of the scarcity of rain this year, in addition to the low level of the Euphrates River, which led to the failure of the agricultural season and created massive difficulties for the people, so they resorted to the old methods of harvesting their crops.

2 May, 2021 03:40

Kobane

The lack of rain affected the production of this year's agricultural season, as agricultural crops such as wheat, barley, lentils, coriander, cumin and other crops on which the people of the region depend greatly were not completed.

Moreover, the decrease in the water level of the Euphrates River negatively affected the agricultural season, due to the scarcity of rain, farmers were unable to save their crops with the Euphrates water because its level was greatly reduced after the Turkish occupation state confined its water to its lands and prevented its flow to the Syrian lands.

These reasons have created difficulty for farmers who depend on the farming season to support their families, as the lack of completion of the agricultural crop means a great loss for them, and to avoid greater damage than that, many people went to harvest their crops by hand instead of harvesters such as wheat and barley due to their incomplete and inability to harvest.

‘Damage and many difficulties'

The young woman, Ikhlas Ibrahim, said that they harvest barley by hand in the old way due to its incompleteness, and that they are affected by this year's agricultural season, not only because their harvest is not complete, but because they will face difficulty in securing livestock feed as well, especially in light of the high exchange rate of the dollar against the Syrian pound.

Muslim Mazy, one of the owners of agricultural harvesters, said that they had prepared for the harvest season and repaired their harvests as every year, and added, "But according to what we see now, there is no harvest season this year, and the people harvest by hand because the crops are not complete."

Muslim pointed out that the lack of rains and the state of drought that the region is going through has greatly affected the owners of harvesters, farmers and livestock breeders in terms of low production and loss, and in terms of the high price of livestock feed.

'Attempts to compensate for the agricultural season'

Omar Mahmoud Kanjo, the engineer and co-chair of the Agriculture Directorate in Kobane canton, said, "The Agriculture Directorate, according to the 2021 Agriculture Plan, distributed fertilizer and diesel fuel to the owners of irrigated lands to compensate for part of the agricultural season for this year for not completing the rain-fed season due to the low rainfall."

According to the Agriculture Directorate, as a result of drought and lack of rain, the agricultural plan for this year was amended, as the directorate supported farmers according to the areas of cultivated land, not just on irrigated lands.

Many of the people of the region were forced to sell their crops to livestock breeders to become pastures for them due to its incompleteness, in addition to afforestation of agricultural lands and not relying on the cultivation of legumes.

J.O

ANHA