Government delays wheat payments, farmers in Hasakah unable to prepare for new season

The majority of the population of Hasakah Governorate depends on agriculture as a primary source of livelihood, particularly the cultivation of wheat, barley, and other agricultural crops. The revenues from the agricultural season constitute a key source of income on which families rely to meet their living needs, repay debts, and purchase the requirements for the new agricultural season.

However, according to farmers, the current season differs from previous years, as the agricultural institutions of the Syrian transitional government have halted support for farmers in the form of agricultural diesel since the beginning of the harvesting process of the previous season and until now. This has coincided with delays in paying their dues from wheat invoices for crops they delivered to grain collection centers.

According to farmers and the relevant institutions, there are still no indications that support will be provided to farmers to begin plowing their land and preparing for the new agricultural season.

In this context, ANHA agency met with a number of farmers while they were waiting inside the Agricultural Bank hall in the city of Jal Agha to receive a payment from their dues amounting to no more than one million Syrian pounds (new currency). The farmers were Ramo Youssef Karho, Ismail Mohammad Mayah, and Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Sahn.

Season payments are essential for the continuation of agriculture

As the time approaches to prepare for planting grain crops, farmers find themselves unable to begin the work as required due to the lack of financial liquidity.

The farmers said that agricultural operations require early preparations, beginning with plowing, preparing, and cooling the soil during the current month, in addition to securing seeds, fertilizers, and fuel. They warned that any delay in these stages could affect the entire season and the productivity of crops.

They said that they currently lack the means necessary to begin the first steps, namely plowing the land, due to the increase in the price of diesel and the absence of government support.

The farmers noted that receiving their dues on time is not merely a matter of settling payment for a previous crop; rather, it is a fundamental pillar for ensuring the continuation of the agricultural cycle, as these funds are reinvested in the land through the purchase of the requirements for the new agricultural season.

Lack of support increases the burden

The farmers believe that the delay in paying wheat dues comes at a time when sufficient forms of agricultural support are absent from the agricultural directorates affiliated with the transitional government, increasing the burdens they face amid rising production costs.

They explained that the burdens of agriculture have become extremely heavy, beginning with land-plowing costs and extending to the prices of seeds, fertilizers, and fuel, which continue to rise from one day to the next, as well as harvesting and transportation costs, particularly after the government dramatically increased fuel prices on September 13 of this month. The price of diesel rose to 175 Syrian pounds (17,500 old Syrian pounds).

Although the transitional government later decided to reduce diesel prices following angry popular protests in various parts of the country, setting three sale prices starting at 115 pounds (11,500 old Syrian pounds) for the service sector, 150 pounds for the second category, and 175 pounds for the third category, the government has not provided the first and second categories in the region.

The farmers stress that their ability to bear these costs is limited and may disappear completely if the invoices are not paid before preparations for the new season begin, which is now approaching.

They confirmed that the absence of support or facilities to help them secure the requirements of the season, in addition to delays in paying the dues for the wheat crop, has resulted in a large number of them being unable to begin preparing their land for the upcoming season.

Concerns over delays in preparing for the new agricultural season

The photographs and video footage taken by our agency of the agricultural land document the extent of the effects left by the crisis. By the end of September, farmers had still not begun plowing their agricultural land, which remains filled with remnants of the previous crop.

Preparations for the upcoming season remain extremely limited. They are confined to the provision of seeds by some farmers who have kept part of their production to use as seed for cultivation, in addition to some traders, while some supplies and equipment can be seen outside animal-feed shops.

Farmers are concerned that continued delays will further narrow the time available to complete plowing and prepare their land.

The farmers said that time is a fundamental factor in agricultural work, as the land should be prepared in mid-September according to the established schedule. Securing seeds, fuel, and fertilizers also requires time and financial resources, making the payment of wheat dues an urgent necessity for them.

The farmers said they fear that the continuation of the current situation could lead some of them to reduce the areas they cultivate during the coming season, or to cultivate only limited areas corresponding to their financial capabilities. This could have repercussions for agricultural production and for the income of families that depend on agriculture.

From agricultural land to alternative projects

Amid these circumstances, some agricultural landowners have already begun taking steps to convert their land from agricultural production to other projects that provide a more stable income, such as establishing farms or poultry-raising projects, in an attempt to compensate for the losses, they have suffered during previous agricultural seasons.

In this context, one farmer says that continued losses year after year are pushing them to reconsider how they invest their land, particularly when crop revenues are insufficient to cover production costs, or when they face delays in receiving their financial dues after delivering their crops.

The farmers explained that the absence of production inputs, support, and appropriate marketing has caused the land, which had been a source of livelihood for families for decades, to become an economic burden for some of its owners, prompting them to search for alternative projects that generate income more quickly and reliably.

Farmers demand payment of their dues

During their statements, the farmers urged that their financial dues for the wheat crop be paid as soon as possible, stressing that these dues are their right and the result of an entire season of work, and that receiving them in a single payment would help them continue farming and secure the requirements for the upcoming season.

They also appealed to the relevant authorities to provide the necessary agricultural support and make production inputs available at reasonable prices, while establishing a clear and regular mechanism for paying agricultural crop dues that would prevent payments from accumulating and being delayed until after the onset of winter, thereby enabling them to continue their agricultural work.

The farmers stressed that supporting the agricultural sector means supporting the livelihoods of thousands of families in the governorate, and that the continuation of agriculture there requires creating suitable conditions for farmers and securing production inputs at the appropriate time.

Absence of government support amid farmers' demands

In an effort to convey the demands of farmers to the relevant government authorities in the governorate, our agency met with an administrator at the Agriculture Institution and the Agricultural Bank in the city of Jal Agha.

Regarding the reasons for the delay in paying farmers' dues, Reem Al-Huwaija, an administrator at the Agricultural Bank branch in Jal Agha, told our agency that the delay is due to the lack of liquidity coming from the general administration, meaning that payments are made according to the cash installments they receive.

In this context, Hassan Omar, an agricultural engineer at the Jal Agha Agriculture Directorate, said that, so far, no government decision has been issued clarifying how farmers will be supported. He also said that there is currently nothing that allows employees of the directorate to begin carrying out their duties.

Concerns over a decline in wheat production next season

The continued delay in paying wheat dues and the absence of agricultural support are raising concerns about a decline in the areas cultivated and in wheat production during the upcoming season, should farmers be forced to reduce the amount of land they cultivate or refrain from cultivating part of it due to rising production costs and their inability to secure agricultural inputs in a timely manner.

If this phenomenon expands and continues, the country may face a shortage in wheat production during the coming season, particularly because delays in agricultural preparations and reductions in cultivated areas directly affect the size of the harvest. This could increase the need to secure wheat from other sources to meet the population's needs.

ANHA