SYRIATV — broadcast
20260920 140000 UTC
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[00:00:04] The Syrian people are being deprived of all have doubled in
[00:00:13] of this is reflecting on
[00:00:14] I mean, this
[00:00:16] occurred a few days ago, and other
[00:00:23] always present. This
[00:00:28] the cost, as mentioned by
[00:00:47] a very large amount that perhaps A new episode of Ain Syria,
[00:00:48] to other Syrian governorates, but this
[00:00:49] many citizens in which we follow the details of life in Syrian
[00:00:51] cities and villages, and monitor the most prominent issues and files that
[00:00:55] affect the lives of citizens. Welcome to
[00:00:58] the headlines.
[00:01:10] A significant increase in food prices in a number of governorates,
[00:01:14] and Syria TV monitors market movement
[00:01:17] add a profit to and its repercussions on living conditions.
[00:01:19] The abundance
[00:01:22] of tomato production in Daraa is met with limited demand
[00:01:26] and a drop in prices below production costs, causing
[00:01:30] partnered with farmers significant
[00:01:33] of goods and commodities in losses. Palestinians in Syria face
[00:01:35] difficulties in owning real estate, and questions about the procedures
[00:01:39] and mechanisms required
[00:01:41] or even Idlib regions to complete transactions. fish production
[00:01:43] meat, Chicken,
[00:01:48] lira and the Syrian prices, which would reduce
[00:01:55] From store shelves to home tables, the movement
[00:01:58] of prices has left its mark on daily life.
[00:02:01] There is a difference in food prices between Syrian governorates
[00:02:08] of southern Idlib depend on available or existing here in coinciding with changes in fuel and transportation costs and a decline in the value
[00:02:11] of the Syrian pound. With the difference in the cost of transporting
[00:02:15] goods and their arrival to the markets, prices vary
[00:02:18] from one governorate to another, while
[00:02:21] some goods
[00:02:24] in addition to a difference in witness changes in their prices. How do residents perceive these changes
[00:02:27] in the markets from Hama, dear viewers?
[00:02:30] The answer to this question, as Syria TV polled
[00:02:34] residents' opinions on the movement of food prices during
[00:02:37] the recent days and whether they perceive an increase
[00:02:41] in them, coinciding with the increase in fuel prices
[00:02:45] basic food items, and this and the decline in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against
[00:02:48] the dollar.
[00:02:51] There has been a price increase of almost 20% in ghee, oils,
[00:02:55] tea, and sugar. All food items
[00:02:58] imported have increased by almost
[00:03:01] we are talking about 70%. Even local items, transportation costs have all gone up.
[00:03:04] We were affected a bit by the increase in fuel prices. Things were affected by the dollar.
[00:03:08] The dollar goes up by 300 liras, and traders increase prices by
[00:03:12] going down with 4,000 to 5,000 liras for each commodity, such as ghee, sugar, rice. Everything
[00:03:15] is going up now. Rice and sugar used to be 8,000, now they are
[00:03:19] 10,000. Oil used to be 24, now it is
[00:03:22] 27-28. I mean, everything is getting more expensive, everything is getting more expensive. It's the game
[00:03:26] of traders. It's the traders who are playing with the markets. First of all, the oil
[00:03:30] that we drink and eat, for example, sugar. Sugar
[00:03:34] 10, 10.5, 11, 9.5. Now, after 9.5,
[00:03:39] in total, is on sugar is up. Sugar, by God, is this also expensive? Also, rice, how much
[00:03:43] is rice today? How
[00:03:46] crisis affecting is it? 11 for rice. Walnuts were
[00:03:48] 50, now they are 80 and 90. I bought
[00:03:52] a medium type, almost red,
[00:03:55] due to weak purchasing power in 65,000. Prices, my son, by God, prices are very
[00:03:58] high. By God,
[00:04:00] anything you want to buy, you can't buy it. It's very expensive. Children
[00:04:04] love fruits. Fruits are
[00:04:06] in an uncontrolled manner. I mean, there are many on fire. If you want to make a dish, you put
[00:04:08] 200,000 and it goes. It will be a normal dish. It's really
[00:04:13] about a rise in annoying. By God, I see all food items are expensive. Sugar, rice,
[00:04:16] thyme, oil,
[00:04:19] pasta, everything, everything is expensive. Food
[00:04:22] items, I mean, every two days we hear that the dollar has
[00:04:26] risen, and the dollar
[00:04:28] example, have risen. I mean, is such and such. Now this oil is expensive. Now,
[00:04:31] previously, this was 20, 21. Now I bought it for
[00:04:34] 27. And this
[00:04:37] crisis that affects is not commensurate with the citizen's to raise prices
[00:04:38] sand, cement, and other income.
[00:04:41] also a rise in From Hama to Homs, Syria TV also polled the opinions of a number
[00:04:45] for all goods. Homs of the city's residents regarding the prices of goods and food
[00:04:48] items and the sales activity in
[00:04:50] the markets.
[00:04:57] Prices are increasing every day from the distributor to the
[00:05:01] breeder. The cost is high, transportation is expensive, everything
[00:05:04] is unbalanced in prices at all.
[00:05:07] And another thing, for example, you have meat exports. All of this is being paid
[00:05:11] for in dollars. Gulf countries are coming, buying, paying.
[00:05:16] of this. Yes, prices have risen with the rise of the dollar,
[00:05:20] and the difficult living conditions that we are experiencing now. All
[00:05:26] the whole society. The rise in prices is the cause of instability
[00:05:29] in the country, because the country is not yet stable. If the country's situation was stable,
[00:05:33] the price would definitely be stable. But the country's situation is not yet stable, so there will be
[00:05:36] instability inevitably. This is 100% natural, because our country's situation
[00:05:40] is still unstable. I mean, we still need
[00:05:42] another three or four years until the country's situation eases a bit. Now,
[00:05:46] regarding vegetable prices, it's something very, very
[00:05:50] much. And there's no movement. The market has died completely. Seriously, seriously,
[00:05:54] the market has completely disappeared here in Homs. The reason,
[00:05:57] no one knows it. And its permits, what is it called,
[00:06:00] the oil that affected us and affected all people.
[00:06:03] All prices. May God help the people. I mean, the worker who is working cannot
[00:06:07] even afford to eat. I mean,
[00:06:11] there is little work. And he runs around everywhere,
[00:06:14] east and west, and he can't catch up. And whoever has a sick person, woe to him.
[00:06:18] I mean, if only there was work in this country, these people would
[00:06:20] work, and prices, it doesn't matter, as long as there is
[00:06:23] work. But the important thing is that these young people find jobs.
[00:06:26] These young people should work, and prices, we don't care about
[00:06:30] prices as much as we care about work for these people,
[00:06:33] for these young people.
[00:06:35] This is.
[00:06:38] In Tartous, Syria TV polled the opinions of a number
[00:06:42] of residents regarding the prices the markets.
[00:06:46] Let's follow.
[00:06:56] ordinary goods, these
[00:06:59] have increased in price. Vegetables are still cheap
[00:07:02] and fine. Yeah,
[00:07:05] that's what they say, that mazut has gone up, so they are
[00:07:09] adding, for example, 2,000 liras to a kilo of
[00:07:12] chicken. So, God willing, it's a crisis that will pass,
[00:07:15] and we hope that prices will go down and return to how they were before.
[00:07:19] And we will return to how we were before. I mean, in the end,
[00:07:22] we would like prices to go down, not up, because we are the ones who
[00:07:26] pay in the end. We bring basic materials. Yes, now it is certain
[00:07:30] that fuel prices have affected vegetable
[00:07:33] prices, chicken, meat, and transportation. It's all
[00:07:37] connected like that, you see.
[00:07:40] And vegetables also, it's the same thing. I mean,
[00:07:43] among food items, I mean, generally everything is expensive. We want to go buy
[00:07:47] a kilo of tomatoes, for example, it's expensive. The cost of transportation for a kilo of tomatoes, for example,
[00:07:51] was 5, now it's 10. Cucumbers are the same way,
[00:07:54] 15. For example, any goods I want to buy. Yesterday,
[00:07:58] yesterday I bought oil, I used to buy it for 150. Yesterday I bought it for
[00:08:01] 12,000. This is injustice. I mean, it's unfair to the citizen. I mean, everything
[00:08:05] is priced according to the dollar, or the price of fuel has gone up. Everything has gone up.
[00:08:09] Fuel prices go up, gasoline prices
[00:08:12] and fuel and everything go up. The dollar goes up, but
[00:08:15] prices don't go down. The dollar goes down, but
[00:08:18] prices don't go down. I mean, prices are always going
[00:08:22] up and not the dollar
[00:08:25] at all.
[00:08:31] From Damascus, Syria TV correspondent Hazem Awad joins me, and also
[00:08:34] from Idlib, Ibrahim Aswaid, and from Homs, Anwar Abu
[00:08:38] Al-Walid, in addition to Lynn Jabara from Tartous. Welcome
[00:08:41] everyone. To the capital, Hazem.
[00:08:44] do
[00:08:46] shop owners
[00:08:50] and stores speak of a decline
[00:08:54] in citizens' demand for their needs compared to previous
[00:08:57] periods before the rise in fuel
[00:08:59] prices?
[00:09:02] In fact, Waseem, the markets were already suffering from stagnation
[00:09:07] the past period that preceded the decision to raise fuel prices.
[00:09:11] And with the decision on fuel prices, the next day, prices began
[00:09:15] to rise
[00:09:19] prices. Some items have increased by more than
[00:09:22] 100%, for example, in the matter of vegetables, under the pretext
[00:09:25] of transportation and farmers' costs, and these are perhaps logical
[00:09:29] excuses, but the percentages may not be well-controlled.
[00:09:32] And not, I mean, in addition to that, for example, the prices of
[00:09:36] tourist bread have risen. The prices of clothes, for
[00:09:40] from food to luxuries,
[00:09:43] even building materials today, we are talking about, I mean, we are in the stage of reconstruction,
[00:09:46] the prices of
[00:09:50] things have risen, and the costs of transporting these materials
[00:09:53] have also risen from the factory to the workshop or even
[00:09:56] from the source to the factory. All these details
[00:10:00] affect the daily life of the citizen.
[00:10:03] For example, the rise in building material prices has affected
[00:10:05] the movement, I mean, of construction and has affected the wages
[00:10:09] of even the workers in it, if wages have not risen in proportion to the
[00:10:13] Additionally, there has been an increase in the prices of some
[00:10:16] items, leading to greater stagnation in the market. For example, we are talking
[00:10:20] about clothing, which has suffered from stagnation for years.
[00:10:24] And today we are talking about an additional increase due to the operation of factories that
[00:10:28] need, I mean, diesel, and consequently, also
[00:10:32] transportation from the factory to the distributor to the consumer. All these details have added
[00:10:36] additional costs to the final product and have caused
[00:10:39] greater stagnation in the markets. We are talking today about citizens who daily
[00:10:43] prioritize between the important and the most important. Behind
[00:10:47] me here is a meat market. I mean, we were asking about the price of lamb.
[00:10:51] Perhaps it is also this price, I mean, here in this
[00:10:55] market, which is Al-Marja market, it is a popular market. I mean, the price of a kilo
[00:10:58] of meat, he told me, is about
[00:11:01] 350,000 Syrian
[00:11:04] pounds. This
[00:11:07] price is beyond the means of citizens. I mean,
[00:11:14] cannot afford to buy. And here we are talking about a cheaper price
[00:11:18] than the retail stores that distribute in
[00:11:21] Damascus. Therefore, some citizens
[00:11:25] have found perhaps cheaper solutions by going to wholesale
[00:11:29] markets to buy some necessities at a cheaper price if
[00:11:33] they can buy them from retail. For example, we are talking about Al-Hal market, which perhaps
[00:11:36] has seen more demand than buying vegetables from
[00:11:39] retail stores that
[00:11:42] the final product of about 200 to three
[00:11:46] or 4,000 Syrian pounds, and this increases the price of vegetables more
[00:11:50] than they are already high. Therefore, these solutions may
[00:11:53] help some citizens, but they are not radical solutions. But, I mean,
[00:11:56] the basic nature today is the daily prioritization between the important
[00:12:00] and the most important so that families can, I mean, secure
[00:12:03] their basic daily needs. Yes, Anwar Abu Al-Walid.
[00:12:06] Homs is located in a geographical position that makes it a link between
[00:12:10] several regions or several governorates. So, has
[00:12:12] the cost of the new transportation
[00:12:15] reflected, perhaps it needs less transportation cost than other
[00:12:19] governorates between the north and the south, on the prices
[00:12:21] of goods?
[00:12:25] The wonderful discussion here in Homs is always about rising prices.
[00:12:28] The people of Homs always compare the prices
[00:12:32] the market with prices in even other governorates, and they find them
[00:12:36] to be notably high. I mean,
[00:12:39] it cannot be denied or explained at the same time. I mean,
[00:12:42] why are these prices so
[00:12:45] expensive, as the citizens call it,
[00:12:49] prices between one market and another? We are talking about a situation or a long
[00:12:52] month. The liberation was a concern for citizens
[00:12:56] and a matter that worries them, which is the fluctuation of prices. There are no
[00:12:59] controlled prices in the entire market, and therefore
[00:13:03] there is a margin that traders can use to
[00:13:06] manipulate the prices of some
[00:13:10] fluctuation causes concern, it causes tension among
[00:13:14] people because they do not reach the true value of the commodity, and therefore
[00:13:18] there are always goods available, but they vary. This
[00:13:21] in its entirety was a key focus of the work of many
[00:13:25] committees, including, for example, the Directorate of Internal Trade, which
[00:13:28] always insisted and pushed for the display
[00:13:32] of prices for goods in all stores to be
[00:13:35] a key matter, and those who did not comply would be held accountable. Full compliance has
[00:13:39] not yet been achieved in this regard. This is perhaps one
[00:13:43] of the reasons that people here say are among the reasons for
[00:13:46] the high prices of some goods. However, if we talk in general
[00:13:49] and comprehensively about all types of goods,
[00:13:53] we notice a continuous and increasing rise. There are general
[00:13:57] reasons related to all types
[00:14:00] of goods, and foremost among them
[00:14:03] is, of course, the fluctuation in the exchange rate of the dollar,
[00:14:06] which has not seen real stability for a long time.
[00:14:10] There is always a decrease and there is always an inevitable increase, as
[00:14:13] many of those
[00:14:16] whose opinions were polled mentioned. There was always talk of a rise in dollar
[00:14:20] prices, and then they did not decrease with the fall of the dollar, as happened
[00:14:23] several times before. There are also other general reasons related to fuel,
[00:14:27] which has been a significant factor in the rise
[00:14:31] in prices of all goods in all stores
[00:14:34] here. It is talking
[00:14:38] prices due to the rise in fuel prices, even
[00:14:41] for those who may have limited transportation tax or costs.
[00:14:45] He raises the prices
[00:14:48] of his goods by a percentage equal to any other
[00:14:51] goods. Therefore, there is exploitation by some traders
[00:14:55] of any crisis that occurs, and the most prominent and last of them was,
[00:14:59] of course, the fuel
[00:15:02] everyone. There is a rise in transportation prices, and therefore
[00:15:06] prices
[00:15:10] does not benefit much
[00:15:13] from its geographical location because goods, or
[00:15:17] a large part of them, come from other regions. We are talking about
[00:15:21] large import operations for main goods, and foremost among them are, for example, building
[00:15:25] materials and other things. All these materials
[00:15:28] are imported and delivered from border crossings to Homs via transportation.
[00:15:31] Fuel prices increase, and therefore the main prices of these
[00:15:35] materials increase, some of which, for example,
[00:15:38] price almost between the beginning of the liberation and now. There
[00:15:41] are main materials that people use,
[00:15:44] the price of which has risen to almost double.
[00:15:48] There are also crises related to other limited materials, such as the chicken crisis that
[00:15:53] crises of rising prices that affect a specific commodity and are usually
[00:15:57] related to, I mean, import
[00:16:00] laws or even the nature of people's work
[00:16:04] in them. Yes, I will move to Idlib with Ibrahim Sweid. Ibrahim, how
[00:16:08] are the prices of food items in Idlib markets
[00:16:11] compared to the previous
[00:16:13] period?
[00:16:16] Yes, Waseem, in fact, Idlib used to be known
[00:16:20] in previous periods for its low prices compared
[00:16:26] began to change gradually months ago.
[00:16:29] The prices of food and even non-food items began to rise
[00:16:33] significantly, but during the past three
[00:16:36] months, we have indeed started to see a very large increase
[00:16:40] in the prices of food items, especially
[00:16:44] red and white meat today, especially since
[00:16:47] Idlib uses more than one currency here in northern Syria,
[00:16:50] and even in comparison, some prices, Waseem,
[00:16:54] have become similar to prices in Turkey, despite the difference
[00:16:57] in income and purchasing power of the individual. Today, red meat prices have reached
[00:17:01] 850 Turkish liras per kilo
[00:17:04] here in southern Idlib. This is
[00:17:08] almost the highest price since
[00:17:11] years, I mean, here in
[00:17:15] northern Syria, whether in Idlib countryside
[00:17:18] and even regions in Aleppo countryside, which depend primarily on
[00:17:22] the Turkish
[00:17:26] lira and the dollar. Consequently, there is also
[00:17:29] another increase in food items, such as
[00:17:33] vegetables and other basic items,
[00:17:36] which have increased due to
[00:17:39] fuel. Added to this, Waseem, is drinking
[00:17:42] water. Most areas
[00:17:45] tankers. A tanker cost about a week
[00:17:49] ago, before the rise in fuel prices, about
[00:17:52] 300 to 350 Turkish liras
[00:17:55] for one tanker. Today we are talking about between 400
[00:17:58] and 500 Turkish liras, and therefore this is another increase
[00:18:02] for drinking water, an increase also
[00:18:05] for red meat, and an increase also for vegetables, which
[00:18:09] residents have started to talk about in terms of transportation
[00:18:11] costs. I mean, pardon me, especially
[00:18:14] vegetable vendors talk about transportation costs that have started
[00:18:18] to increase, I mean, from the sources of agricultural land to the regions
[00:18:22] and markets, and therefore this has also affected greatly the process
[00:18:25] of buying and selling. Many of them said
[00:18:28] that they also rely on diesel for irrigating
[00:18:32] crops, and this has also greatly affected. So,
[00:18:35] in general, Waseem,
[00:18:38] prices, both food and non-food items, remaining
[00:18:42] high. Perhaps there is also,
[00:18:44] I am talking about a basic chaotic process in
[00:18:48] the buying and selling process, the existence of more than one currency in Idlib,
[00:18:51] the existence of successive increases, and the control process still seems limited
[00:18:55] in general, I mean, Waseem. Yes, I will move to Tartous with Lynn Jabara. Welcome
[00:18:59] again, Lynn. What do shop owners say
[00:19:02] about the volume of demand compared to the previous period,
[00:19:05] especially since we are
[00:19:08] at the beginning of the school season about two
[00:19:11] weeks ago?
[00:19:14] Yes, Waseem, frankly, Tartous governorate is
[00:19:18] known for its high prices even without any
[00:19:23] the market and prices in general. However,
[00:19:26] especially after the recent fuel crisis
[00:19:30] and its rising prices, this has caused, I mean,
[00:19:33] an immediate increase in all
[00:19:37] prices of basic goods in the markets.
[00:19:41] Food items, canned goods, red meat,
[00:19:44] white meat, vegetables, and fruits, I mean,
[00:19:47] even public transportation, I mean,
[00:19:50] its prices have risen significantly after the rise
[00:19:53] in fuel prices. Of course, I mean,
[00:19:57] shop owners, I mean,
[00:20:01] exploit any crisis to raise prices excessively,
[00:20:04] I mean, beyond the natural limit. However, I mean, some shops
[00:20:08] also, I mean, were naturally forced
[00:20:12] at least from 20 to 50
[00:20:16] Syrian pounds, I mean, for the lowest product. We are talking, I mean,
[00:20:20] about a low price for some
[00:20:23] items whose prices have risen more, such as meat, for example,
[00:20:26] and also
[00:20:29] white meat and red meat. I mean, the price of
[00:20:32] a kilo of lamb before
[00:20:35] the rise in fuel
[00:20:38] prices was 280
[00:20:41] liras. But after the rise in fuel prices,
[00:20:45] it reached 320 Syrian liras, approximately.
[00:20:48] As for, I mean,
[00:20:50] the price of veal
[00:20:53] before the rise in fuel prices was approximately 28
[00:20:57] liras. But after the rise in prices, it reached
[00:21:00] three 300 liras.
[00:21:04] is a big increase for
[00:21:07] Tartous governorate, but it
[00:21:09] is, I mean,
[00:21:13] increase. Of course, shop owners, I mean, say
[00:21:16] that they, I mean, are forced to raise their prices
[00:21:20] due to transportation and fuel, especially vegetable
[00:21:23] shops. I mean, this imposes
[00:21:26] additional costs on them for transporting
[00:21:28] their goods to the markets as well. Yes, thank you, Lynn Jabara,
[00:21:32] Syria TV correspondent from Tartous, and many thanks to Ibrahim Sweid from
[00:21:36] Idlib, and Anwar Abu Al-Walid from Homs, and Hazem Awad
[00:21:39] from Damascus. Thank you all for these
[00:21:41] clarifications.
[00:21:44] And I welcome the economic expert, Dr. Ziad Arabash, who
[00:21:47] is with us from Damascus. Welcome. Dr.,
[00:21:50] with the continued rise
[00:21:53] in oil prices or
[00:21:56] petroleum derivatives, to what extent do you think this inflation
[00:22:00] will be temporary or
[00:22:03] will it spread to all
[00:22:05] sectors of services and life in
[00:22:08] Syria?
[00:22:12] Exactly. Good evening, and many thanks to all
[00:22:15] your correspondents and the surveys you conducted in several
[00:22:18] governorates, because, sir, I will base my intervention on them and build
[00:22:22] on several questions you might ask me, but a quick answer to your question:
[00:22:26] There are two directions, two factors that determine
[00:22:30] the answer to your question. The price of crude oil globally
[00:22:33] has decreased by about 7-8 dollars, or even tens. Now,
[00:22:37] it closed a little while ago, it decreased by about 4 dollars, so
[00:22:40] things are going down, but there were previous
[00:22:44] rebounds in the past few days. The price of Brent reached 107
[00:22:48] dollars, and today it decreased to 94-95.
[00:22:51] So, the basic prices of raw materials and intermediate
[00:22:55] materials that were imported last week
[00:22:58] were high. Therefore, they will
[00:23:01] slightly increase prices compared
[00:23:04] to last week. Now they are adjusted a bit, but prices will remain
[00:23:07] high unless the price of crude oil globally
[00:23:10] decreases significantly below $70, as
[00:23:14] it was before last February. Now, the correspondents
[00:23:17] mentioned several very important points. Let me say
[00:23:21] four points that I will quickly take, if you allow me. It's a game
[00:23:24] of communicating vessels, as we call it. One of the
[00:23:27] viewers, or those whose opinions you surveyed, says
[00:23:30] that prices used to be different. They were cheaper for us compared
[00:23:34] to other regions. Now they are almost the same, because certainly
[00:23:38] when the price of a commodity decreases, or when the price of a commodity is higher than elsewhere,
[00:23:42] people run away and go to buy from the nearest place
[00:23:45] with cheaper prices. It also adjusts the type
[00:23:48] of consumption. You either consume less, or you consume
[00:23:52] even lower quality, or you even completely give up on the product. There's a third factor
[00:23:55] that we call the substitution factor, which is raising the price of one product with another
[00:23:59] between white meat and chicken, and red meat, and so on,
[00:24:03] to fish. So there's a game of communicating vessels. The price of electricity
[00:24:06] went up, so it turned to heating oil, then it turned to firewood.
[00:24:10] So in the end, they adjust each other. Now, this is a very crucial opportunity
[00:24:13] to adopt an economic policy, because it's good that we are addressing
[00:24:17] this issue. Those who don't know, perhaps all our viewers are experiencing
[00:24:21] it. I think about 70% of our
[00:24:24] family spending, or 65%, or 75%,
[00:24:27] approximately,
[00:24:29] food. Now, one of the ladies whom you interviewed
[00:24:33] said, "No matter what the prices are," and her words are correct,
[00:24:37] frankly, "but let there be employment, let there be work." I mean, if
[00:24:40] two people in the family are working, then they can cope with rising prices. Now,
[00:24:44] someone spoke and finished, I mean, based on what
[00:24:48] you said in the reports, that they are coming out of a war and it has been 15
[00:24:51] years, be patient, it still needs calm for four years. No, let's
[00:24:55] speed up the solutions very quickly because we cannot
[00:24:59] wait long, especially in terms of action. Now, you mentioned
[00:25:02] in the introduction and in your questions that
[00:25:05] from shelves to tables, this
[00:25:09] is not the story. It's from fork to fork, as we call it, and I will conclude my intervention
[00:25:13] when the farmer plants in the field, I mean with the fork,
[00:25:16] and I eat with the fork. It's a complete chain. Don't
[00:25:20] raise energy prices, or keep them high, but support agricultural
[00:25:23] production initially with fertilizer, with raw materials,
[00:25:26] with products, and support the final consumer with a food
[00:25:29] basket. So you hold both ends so that
[00:25:32] this critical stage can pass. Yes, in light of these developments, doctor, what are the indicators
[00:25:36] that should be monitored during the upcoming period
[00:25:39] to know whether the increase will continue
[00:25:41] or there will be stability?
[00:25:45] I think
[00:25:48] I don't want to... I don't look at indicators. I look
[00:25:52] at a state that has a comprehensive economic policy. I look
[00:25:55] at the trade balance. If I want to take the indicator, I implement a trade
[00:25:58] policy. I protect the local product from external
[00:26:02] competition, so that I support local production in all ways,
[00:26:06] including lending, so that the farmer can complete the agricultural cycle, because what
[00:26:09] happened to us last month and this month, almost, is that
[00:26:13] the agricultural cycle, in other words, the farmer who worked for six or seven
[00:26:16] months and finished his production, and wanted to pay off his debts and the costs
[00:26:20] he incurred previously for raw materials, as a result of his crop,
[00:26:23] he could not pay off his debts because he did not get the full value of the production
[00:26:27] or at prices that exceed
[00:26:31] one of those you interviewed here. And also,
[00:26:34] he may not be able to
[00:26:37] produce in the next cycle, to buy raw materials. So, it is necessary to support the production
[00:26:41] chain with a trade policy, with a lending policy, by supporting
[00:26:45] the local product, supporting families, supporting producers, because this is
[00:26:48] a complete chain. Any imbalance in it leads to
[00:26:52] other imbalances. Now, last week, the government made a decision, or
[00:26:56] the Ministry of Economy, to establish a committee to support local production.
[00:26:59] This must be used and a plan must be drawn up, even if it is quick and emergency.
[00:27:03] I call it a rescue plan, because I have a difficult winter
[00:27:07] ahead. The coming months have high living requirements. I have
[00:27:10] heating oil that will also burden families. So, there must be
[00:27:14] a stage with an urgent national policy. Don't wait four
[00:27:17] years to have an economic agricultural policy
[00:27:20] for production development. What prevents, if I give you an example, I mean,
[00:27:24] I think no one will be upset with me or with you. It wouldn't be wrong if
[00:27:28] the sovereign fund or a Syrian government entity
[00:27:33] the business sector, with unions, with professional federations,
[00:27:36] and we made Tartous or Arwad or a center for
[00:27:41] and canned goods from fish wealth and provided
[00:27:44] a basic commodity at low
[00:27:47] the prices of other goods, including white meat and red meat.
[00:27:51] So there are many initiatives and measures that must
[00:27:54] be taken, because we are all in the same boat. Yes,
[00:27:57] to what extent also does the decline in the value of the Syrian
[00:28:01] pound affect the rise in prices with the rise in oil derivative prices
[00:28:04] also during this period?
[00:28:08] Excellent. I mean, frankly, I mean, you are quoting me or
[00:28:11] I am quoting you now. So you have five
[00:28:14] factors that we are surrounded by almost.
[00:28:18] No, no, but the scientific idea is that you are saying the rise of the Syrian pound and its fall
[00:28:22] compared to the dollar, this puts pressure on me as a citizen, on my purchasing power.
[00:28:26] The increase in fuel prices puts pressure on me. The costs paid
[00:28:29] due to inflation, especially in raw materials that I bring from abroad, also put
[00:28:32] pressure on me. The lack of liquidity or the withholding of liquidity also puts pressure
[00:28:36] on me. Financial transfers that have not worked so far, including the Swift call, also
[00:28:40] put pressure on me. But let me explain it to you with a simple example so that viewers know
[00:28:44] what we are talking about. The oil can that some guests talked about or that
[00:28:47] you interviewed has four processes. The first process is that I bring it from
[00:28:51] the source, and it became expensive for me. That is, to bring it from a country to refine it
[00:28:55] in Syria, it became expensive for me. Transportation and shipping and insurance costs became expensive for me. So
[00:28:58] there are two. My work costs as I take it out of my factories
[00:29:01] until it is purified and sold to the final
[00:29:05] consumer, it also became expensive for me. The fourth point is transportation costs. Now, instead of its price being
[00:29:09] 21, 22, yesterday I was in the markets and today it's the same, it's rising because it
[00:29:13] is linked to the dollar exchange rate. To answer your question, it became
[00:29:16] 28,000. Now my whole mission is to try to reduce
[00:29:19] these costs. Not only to support the producer, meaning in production, but also to support
[00:29:23] the consumer, because if he consumes, this moves the economic
[00:29:26] cycle, provided that the production costs that the producer
[00:29:30] takes are less than what he profits. If he does not
[00:29:33] profit a certain margin, he cannot continue in production. This story
[00:29:37] of the greed of traders, I don't really believe in it. Now there are traders whose souls
[00:29:40] are weak, like any citizen, like any university professor. There
[00:29:44] are people whose souls are good. There are people whose mentality is soft
[00:29:48] to exploit. Now I, the monitoring, the consumer protection
[00:29:51] associations, all of these need to be activated positively, not just monitoring
[00:29:54] that catches you and then says, "Come on, I'm going to imprison you." No, I want him not to make a mistake,
[00:29:58] and therefore prices don't rise, as one of the guests said. Also, for the fourth time,
[00:30:02] the fluctuation in prices, I see it in the markets. No one
[00:30:05] sells me imported bananas from one of the countries. This one
[00:30:09] wants 2000 for it, this one wants 200 pounds for it, this one wants
[00:30:13] 18 pounds for it, even though it's the same. I see where these two are. The sellers
[00:30:16] are next to each other. Now this one wants to eat kebab at my expense, this one wants to eat falafel
[00:30:20] with our profit now.
[00:30:23] Let's work together and have a small profit temporarily without
[00:30:26] this greed, because any commodity that is lost to the
[00:30:30] consumer from the market means that this is food security. That is, a family did not bring
[00:30:33] a crate of eggs home, did not bring labneh. They might do without one or two items,
[00:30:37] milk, no milk, no cheese. No, but also at breakfast, they don't have
[00:30:41] four or five products so that their children can go to school in the
[00:30:44] best possible way. I have nothing to do with it here. To answer your question,
[00:30:48] I sacrifice a certain deficit, meaning I have a balance of payments
[00:30:52] deficit. But where does my balance of payments deficit come from? Because all the goods I
[00:30:56] consume are consumer goods. But if I import and allow.