Farmers: installment payments do not cover our debts, labor wages, agricultural costs

Farmers expressed their dissatisfaction with delays in receiving their financial entitlements, in addition to the adoption of the installment payment system and the difficulties associated with using the “Sham Cash” application. They said these factors are exacerbating their financial burdens and limiting their ability to meet their obligations, repay debts, and cover agricultural production costs.

Three months of waiting as debts continue to mount

Farmer Sabah Oweid Al-Roudhan, from the Al-Hadadiyah area in the countryside of Al-Shaddadi, said farmers have been waiting for their payments for more than three months, while their debts and financial obligations have continued to accumulate. As a result, they have been forced to inform their creditors that repayment will be postponed until their entitlements are disbursed.

Al-Roudhan noted that difficulties in dealing with the “Sham Cash” application, particularly for elderly people who do not know how to use it properly, represent an additional burden on farmers.

He pointed out that delays in paying the value of wheat invoices, together with the installment system and the payment mechanism through the application, have increased the burdens associated with debts, medical expenses, tractor repairs, and workers’ wages.

Al-Roudhan warned that if these conditions continue, farmers may be driven to abandon agricultural work and seek other forms of employment because they are unable to bear their accumulating financial burdens.

Installment payments do not cover agricultural costs

For his part, farmer Ibrahim Khodr, from the city of Al-Hasakah, said that the installment payment system “does not cover farmers’ needs in terms of debts, labor wages, and agricultural costs.”

He noted that payments owed to several people who provided services to farmers, including the owners of trucks that transported their crops have still not been settled.

Khodr described the installment system as increasing farmers’ financial burdens rather than easing them, saying that it is unacceptable to them. He stressed that if the situation continues, many farmers will refrain from working in agriculture.

Khodr added: “Farmers today need to receive their entitlements in a single payment to settle their obligations, after waiting for more than three months amid the accumulation of debts and expenses associated with the agricultural season.”

“Sham Cash”: An additional obstacle for farmers

Ibrahim Khodr said that using “Sham Cash” presents an additional challenge, particularly for elderly people who lack sufficient experience in using the application.

He explained that after creating an account, farmers are required to visit an ATM agent to receive their entitlements, which places additional expenses on them.

Khodr called on the transitional government to pay farmers their full entitlements in a single payment, rather than through an installment system.

He warned that continuing to disburse payments in installments would leave farmers facing financial burdens in the coming months and could push more farmers to abandon agricultural work.

ANHA