Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:04The Syrian people are being deprived of all have doubled in
00:00:13of this is reflecting on
00:00:14I mean, this
00:00:16occurred a few days ago, and other
00:00:23always present. This
00:00:28the cost, as mentioned by
00:00:47a very large amount that perhaps A new episode of Ain Syria,
00:00:48to other Syrian governorates, but this
00:00:49many citizens in which we follow the details of life in Syrian
00:00:51cities and villages, and monitor the most prominent issues and files that
00:00:55affect the lives of citizens. Welcome to
00:00:58the headlines.
00:01:10A significant increase in food prices in a number of governorates,
00:01:14and Syria TV monitors market movement
00:01:17add a profit to and its repercussions on living conditions.
00:01:19The abundance
00:01:22of tomato production in Daraa is met with limited demand
00:01:26and a drop in prices below production costs, causing
00:01:30partnered with farmers significant
00:01:33of goods and commodities in losses. Palestinians in Syria face
00:01:35difficulties in owning real estate, and questions about the procedures
00:01:39and mechanisms required
00:01:41or even Idlib regions to complete transactions. fish production
00:01:43meat, Chicken,
00:01:48lira and the Syrian prices, which would reduce
00:01:55From store shelves to home tables, the movement
00:01:58of prices has left its mark on daily life.
00:02:01There is a difference in food prices between Syrian governorates
00:02:08of southern Idlib depend on available or existing here in coinciding with changes in fuel and transportation costs and a decline in the value
00:02:11of the Syrian pound. With the difference in the cost of transporting
00:02:15goods and their arrival to the markets, prices vary
00:02:18from one governorate to another, while
00:02:21some goods
00:02:24in addition to a difference in witness changes in their prices. How do residents perceive these changes
00:02:27in the markets from Hama, dear viewers?
00:02:30The answer to this question, as Syria TV polled
00:02:34residents' opinions on the movement of food prices during
00:02:37the recent days and whether they perceive an increase
00:02:41in them, coinciding with the increase in fuel prices
00:02:45basic food items, and this and the decline in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against
00:02:48the dollar.
00:02:51There has been a price increase of almost 20% in ghee, oils,
00:02:55tea, and sugar. All food items
00:02:58imported have increased by almost
00:03:01we are talking about 70%. Even local items, transportation costs have all gone up.
00:03:04We were affected a bit by the increase in fuel prices. Things were affected by the dollar.
00:03:08The dollar goes up by 300 liras, and traders increase prices by
00:03:12going down with 4,000 to 5,000 liras for each commodity, such as ghee, sugar, rice. Everything
00:03:15is going up now. Rice and sugar used to be 8,000, now they are
00:03:1910,000. Oil used to be 24, now it is
00:03:2227-28. I mean, everything is getting more expensive, everything is getting more expensive. It's the game
00:03:26of traders. It's the traders who are playing with the markets. First of all, the oil
00:03:30that we drink and eat, for example, sugar. Sugar
00:03:3410, 10.5, 11, 9.5. Now, after 9.5,
00:03:39in total, is on sugar is up. Sugar, by God, is this also expensive? Also, rice, how much
00:03:43is rice today? How
00:03:46crisis affecting is it? 11 for rice. Walnuts were
00:03:4850, now they are 80 and 90. I bought
00:03:52a medium type, almost red,
00:03:55due to weak purchasing power in 65,000. Prices, my son, by God, prices are very
00:03:58high. By God,
00:04:00anything you want to buy, you can't buy it. It's very expensive. Children
00:04:04love fruits. Fruits are
00:04:06in an uncontrolled manner. I mean, there are many on fire. If you want to make a dish, you put
00:04:08200,000 and it goes. It will be a normal dish. It's really
00:04:13about a rise in annoying. By God, I see all food items are expensive. Sugar, rice,
00:04:16thyme, oil,
00:04:19pasta, everything, everything is expensive. Food
00:04:22items, I mean, every two days we hear that the dollar has
00:04:26risen, and the dollar
00:04:28example, have risen. I mean, is such and such. Now this oil is expensive. Now,
00:04:31previously, this was 20, 21. Now I bought it for
00:04:3427. And this
00:04:37crisis that affects is not commensurate with the citizen's to raise prices
00:04:38sand, cement, and other income.
00:04:41also a rise in From Hama to Homs, Syria TV also polled the opinions of a number
00:04:45for all goods. Homs of the city's residents regarding the prices of goods and food
00:04:48items and the sales activity in
00:04:50the markets.
00:04:57Prices are increasing every day from the distributor to the
00:05:01breeder. The cost is high, transportation is expensive, everything
00:05:04is unbalanced in prices at all.
00:05:07And another thing, for example, you have meat exports. All of this is being paid
00:05:11for in dollars. Gulf countries are coming, buying, paying.
00:05:16of this. Yes, prices have risen with the rise of the dollar,
00:05:20and the difficult living conditions that we are experiencing now. All
00:05:26the whole society. The rise in prices is the cause of instability
00:05:29in the country, because the country is not yet stable. If the country's situation was stable,
00:05:33the price would definitely be stable. But the country's situation is not yet stable, so there will be
00:05:36instability inevitably. This is 100% natural, because our country's situation
00:05:40is still unstable. I mean, we still need
00:05:42another three or four years until the country's situation eases a bit. Now,
00:05:46regarding vegetable prices, it's something very, very
00:05:50much. And there's no movement. The market has died completely. Seriously, seriously,
00:05:54the market has completely disappeared here in Homs. The reason,
00:05:57no one knows it. And its permits, what is it called,
00:06:00the oil that affected us and affected all people.
00:06:03All prices. May God help the people. I mean, the worker who is working cannot
00:06:07even afford to eat. I mean,
00:06:11there is little work. And he runs around everywhere,
00:06:14east and west, and he can't catch up. And whoever has a sick person, woe to him.
00:06:18I mean, if only there was work in this country, these people would
00:06:20work, and prices, it doesn't matter, as long as there is
00:06:23work. But the important thing is that these young people find jobs.
00:06:26These young people should work, and prices, we don't care about
00:06:30prices as much as we care about work for these people,
00:06:33for these young people.
00:06:35This is.
00:06:38In Tartous, Syria TV polled the opinions of a number
00:06:42of residents regarding the prices the markets.
00:06:46Let's follow.
00:06:56ordinary goods, these
00:06:59have increased in price. Vegetables are still cheap
00:07:02and fine. Yeah,
00:07:05that's what they say, that mazut has gone up, so they are
00:07:09adding, for example, 2,000 liras to a kilo of
00:07:12chicken. So, God willing, it's a crisis that will pass,
00:07:15and we hope that prices will go down and return to how they were before.
00:07:19And we will return to how we were before. I mean, in the end,
00:07:22we would like prices to go down, not up, because we are the ones who
00:07:26pay in the end. We bring basic materials. Yes, now it is certain
00:07:30that fuel prices have affected vegetable
00:07:33prices, chicken, meat, and transportation. It's all
00:07:37connected like that, you see.
00:07:40And vegetables also, it's the same thing. I mean,
00:07:43among food items, I mean, generally everything is expensive. We want to go buy
00:07:47a kilo of tomatoes, for example, it's expensive. The cost of transportation for a kilo of tomatoes, for example,
00:07:51was 5, now it's 10. Cucumbers are the same way,
00:07:5415. For example, any goods I want to buy. Yesterday,
00:07:58yesterday I bought oil, I used to buy it for 150. Yesterday I bought it for
00:08:0112,000. This is injustice. I mean, it's unfair to the citizen. I mean, everything
00:08:05is priced according to the dollar, or the price of fuel has gone up. Everything has gone up.
00:08:09Fuel prices go up, gasoline prices
00:08:12and fuel and everything go up. The dollar goes up, but
00:08:15prices don't go down. The dollar goes down, but
00:08:18prices don't go down. I mean, prices are always going
00:08:22up and not the dollar
00:08:25at all.
00:08:31From Damascus, Syria TV correspondent Hazem Awad joins me, and also
00:08:34from Idlib, Ibrahim Aswaid, and from Homs, Anwar Abu
00:08:38Al-Walid, in addition to Lynn Jabara from Tartous. Welcome
00:08:41everyone. To the capital, Hazem.
00:08:44do
00:08:46shop owners
00:08:50and stores speak of a decline
00:08:54in citizens' demand for their needs compared to previous
00:08:57periods before the rise in fuel
00:08:59prices?
00:09:02In fact, Waseem, the markets were already suffering from stagnation
00:09:07the past period that preceded the decision to raise fuel prices.
00:09:11And with the decision on fuel prices, the next day, prices began
00:09:15to rise
00:09:19prices. Some items have increased by more than
00:09:22100%, for example, in the matter of vegetables, under the pretext
00:09:25of transportation and farmers' costs, and these are perhaps logical
00:09:29excuses, but the percentages may not be well-controlled.
00:09:32And not, I mean, in addition to that, for example, the prices of
00:09:36tourist bread have risen. The prices of clothes, for
00:09:40from food to luxuries,
00:09:43even building materials today, we are talking about, I mean, we are in the stage of reconstruction,
00:09:46the prices of
00:09:50things have risen, and the costs of transporting these materials
00:09:53have also risen from the factory to the workshop or even
00:09:56from the source to the factory. All these details
00:10:00affect the daily life of the citizen.
00:10:03For example, the rise in building material prices has affected
00:10:05the movement, I mean, of construction and has affected the wages
00:10:09of even the workers in it, if wages have not risen in proportion to the
00:10:13Additionally, there has been an increase in the prices of some
00:10:16items, leading to greater stagnation in the market. For example, we are talking
00:10:20about clothing, which has suffered from stagnation for years.
00:10:24And today we are talking about an additional increase due to the operation of factories that
00:10:28need, I mean, diesel, and consequently, also
00:10:32transportation from the factory to the distributor to the consumer. All these details have added
00:10:36additional costs to the final product and have caused
00:10:39greater stagnation in the markets. We are talking today about citizens who daily
00:10:43prioritize between the important and the most important. Behind
00:10:47me here is a meat market. I mean, we were asking about the price of lamb.
00:10:51Perhaps it is also this price, I mean, here in this
00:10:55market, which is Al-Marja market, it is a popular market. I mean, the price of a kilo
00:10:58of meat, he told me, is about
00:11:01350,000 Syrian
00:11:04pounds. This
00:11:07price is beyond the means of citizens. I mean,
00:11:14cannot afford to buy. And here we are talking about a cheaper price
00:11:18than the retail stores that distribute in
00:11:21Damascus. Therefore, some citizens
00:11:25have found perhaps cheaper solutions by going to wholesale
00:11:29markets to buy some necessities at a cheaper price if
00:11:33they can buy them from retail. For example, we are talking about Al-Hal market, which perhaps
00:11:36has seen more demand than buying vegetables from
00:11:39retail stores that
00:11:42the final product of about 200 to three
00:11:46or 4,000 Syrian pounds, and this increases the price of vegetables more
00:11:50than they are already high. Therefore, these solutions may
00:11:53help some citizens, but they are not radical solutions. But, I mean,
00:11:56the basic nature today is the daily prioritization between the important
00:12:00and the most important so that families can, I mean, secure
00:12:03their basic daily needs. Yes, Anwar Abu Al-Walid.
00:12:06Homs is located in a geographical position that makes it a link between
00:12:10several regions or several governorates. So, has
00:12:12the cost of the new transportation
00:12:15reflected, perhaps it needs less transportation cost than other
00:12:19governorates between the north and the south, on the prices
00:12:21of goods?
00:12:25The wonderful discussion here in Homs is always about rising prices.
00:12:28The people of Homs always compare the prices
00:12:32the market with prices in even other governorates, and they find them
00:12:36to be notably high. I mean,
00:12:39it cannot be denied or explained at the same time. I mean,
00:12:42why are these prices so
00:12:45expensive, as the citizens call it,
00:12:49prices between one market and another? We are talking about a situation or a long
00:12:52month. The liberation was a concern for citizens
00:12:56and a matter that worries them, which is the fluctuation of prices. There are no
00:12:59controlled prices in the entire market, and therefore
00:13:03there is a margin that traders can use to
00:13:06manipulate the prices of some
00:13:10fluctuation causes concern, it causes tension among
00:13:14people because they do not reach the true value of the commodity, and therefore
00:13:18there are always goods available, but they vary. This
00:13:21in its entirety was a key focus of the work of many
00:13:25committees, including, for example, the Directorate of Internal Trade, which
00:13:28always insisted and pushed for the display
00:13:32of prices for goods in all stores to be
00:13:35a key matter, and those who did not comply would be held accountable. Full compliance has
00:13:39not yet been achieved in this regard. This is perhaps one
00:13:43of the reasons that people here say are among the reasons for
00:13:46the high prices of some goods. However, if we talk in general
00:13:49and comprehensively about all types of goods,
00:13:53we notice a continuous and increasing rise. There are general
00:13:57reasons related to all types
00:14:00of goods, and foremost among them
00:14:03is, of course, the fluctuation in the exchange rate of the dollar,
00:14:06which has not seen real stability for a long time.
00:14:10There is always a decrease and there is always an inevitable increase, as
00:14:13many of those
00:14:16whose opinions were polled mentioned. There was always talk of a rise in dollar
00:14:20prices, and then they did not decrease with the fall of the dollar, as happened
00:14:23several times before. There are also other general reasons related to fuel,
00:14:27which has been a significant factor in the rise
00:14:31in prices of all goods in all stores
00:14:34here. It is talking
00:14:38prices due to the rise in fuel prices, even
00:14:41for those who may have limited transportation tax or costs.
00:14:45He raises the prices
00:14:48of his goods by a percentage equal to any other
00:14:51goods. Therefore, there is exploitation by some traders
00:14:55of any crisis that occurs, and the most prominent and last of them was,
00:14:59of course, the fuel
00:15:02everyone. There is a rise in transportation prices, and therefore
00:15:06prices
00:15:10does not benefit much
00:15:13from its geographical location because goods, or
00:15:17a large part of them, come from other regions. We are talking about
00:15:21large import operations for main goods, and foremost among them are, for example, building
00:15:25materials and other things. All these materials
00:15:28are imported and delivered from border crossings to Homs via transportation.
00:15:31Fuel prices increase, and therefore the main prices of these
00:15:35materials increase, some of which, for example,
00:15:38price almost between the beginning of the liberation and now. There
00:15:41are main materials that people use,
00:15:44the price of which has risen to almost double.
00:15:48There are also crises related to other limited materials, such as the chicken crisis that
00:15:53crises of rising prices that affect a specific commodity and are usually
00:15:57related to, I mean, import
00:16:00laws or even the nature of people's work
00:16:04in them. Yes, I will move to Idlib with Ibrahim Sweid. Ibrahim, how
00:16:08are the prices of food items in Idlib markets
00:16:11compared to the previous
00:16:13period?
00:16:16Yes, Waseem, in fact, Idlib used to be known
00:16:20in previous periods for its low prices compared
00:16:26began to change gradually months ago.
00:16:29The prices of food and even non-food items began to rise
00:16:33significantly, but during the past three
00:16:36months, we have indeed started to see a very large increase
00:16:40in the prices of food items, especially
00:16:44red and white meat today, especially since
00:16:47Idlib uses more than one currency here in northern Syria,
00:16:50and even in comparison, some prices, Waseem,
00:16:54have become similar to prices in Turkey, despite the difference
00:16:57in income and purchasing power of the individual. Today, red meat prices have reached
00:17:01850 Turkish liras per kilo
00:17:04here in southern Idlib. This is
00:17:08almost the highest price since
00:17:11years, I mean, here in
00:17:15northern Syria, whether in Idlib countryside
00:17:18and even regions in Aleppo countryside, which depend primarily on
00:17:22the Turkish
00:17:26lira and the dollar. Consequently, there is also
00:17:29another increase in food items, such as
00:17:33vegetables and other basic items,
00:17:36which have increased due to
00:17:39fuel. Added to this, Waseem, is drinking
00:17:42water. Most areas
00:17:45tankers. A tanker cost about a week
00:17:49ago, before the rise in fuel prices, about
00:17:52300 to 350 Turkish liras
00:17:55for one tanker. Today we are talking about between 400
00:17:58and 500 Turkish liras, and therefore this is another increase
00:18:02for drinking water, an increase also
00:18:05for red meat, and an increase also for vegetables, which
00:18:09residents have started to talk about in terms of transportation
00:18:11costs. I mean, pardon me, especially
00:18:14vegetable vendors talk about transportation costs that have started
00:18:18to increase, I mean, from the sources of agricultural land to the regions
00:18:22and markets, and therefore this has also affected greatly the process
00:18:25of buying and selling. Many of them said
00:18:28that they also rely on diesel for irrigating
00:18:32crops, and this has also greatly affected. So,
00:18:35in general, Waseem,
00:18:38prices, both food and non-food items, remaining
00:18:42high. Perhaps there is also,
00:18:44I am talking about a basic chaotic process in
00:18:48the buying and selling process, the existence of more than one currency in Idlib,
00:18:51the existence of successive increases, and the control process still seems limited
00:18:55in general, I mean, Waseem. Yes, I will move to Tartous with Lynn Jabara. Welcome
00:18:59again, Lynn. What do shop owners say
00:19:02about the volume of demand compared to the previous period,
00:19:05especially since we are
00:19:08at the beginning of the school season about two
00:19:11weeks ago?
00:19:14Yes, Waseem, frankly, Tartous governorate is
00:19:18known for its high prices even without any
00:19:23the market and prices in general. However,
00:19:26especially after the recent fuel crisis
00:19:30and its rising prices, this has caused, I mean,
00:19:33an immediate increase in all
00:19:37prices of basic goods in the markets.
00:19:41Food items, canned goods, red meat,
00:19:44white meat, vegetables, and fruits, I mean,
00:19:47even public transportation, I mean,
00:19:50its prices have risen significantly after the rise
00:19:53in fuel prices. Of course, I mean,
00:19:57shop owners, I mean,
00:20:01exploit any crisis to raise prices excessively,
00:20:04I mean, beyond the natural limit. However, I mean, some shops
00:20:08also, I mean, were naturally forced
00:20:12at least from 20 to 50
00:20:16Syrian pounds, I mean, for the lowest product. We are talking, I mean,
00:20:20about a low price for some
00:20:23items whose prices have risen more, such as meat, for example,
00:20:26and also
00:20:29white meat and red meat. I mean, the price of
00:20:32a kilo of lamb before
00:20:35the rise in fuel
00:20:38prices was 280
00:20:41liras. But after the rise in fuel prices,
00:20:45it reached 320 Syrian liras, approximately.
00:20:48As for, I mean,
00:20:50the price of veal
00:20:53before the rise in fuel prices was approximately 28
00:20:57liras. But after the rise in prices, it reached
00:21:00three 300 liras.
00:21:04is a big increase for
00:21:07Tartous governorate, but it
00:21:09is, I mean,
00:21:13increase. Of course, shop owners, I mean, say
00:21:16that they, I mean, are forced to raise their prices
00:21:20due to transportation and fuel, especially vegetable
00:21:23shops. I mean, this imposes
00:21:26additional costs on them for transporting
00:21:28their goods to the markets as well. Yes, thank you, Lynn Jabara,
00:21:32Syria TV correspondent from Tartous, and many thanks to Ibrahim Sweid from
00:21:36Idlib, and Anwar Abu Al-Walid from Homs, and Hazem Awad
00:21:39from Damascus. Thank you all for these
00:21:41clarifications.
00:21:44And I welcome the economic expert, Dr. Ziad Arabash, who
00:21:47is with us from Damascus. Welcome. Dr.,
00:21:50with the continued rise
00:21:53in oil prices or
00:21:56petroleum derivatives, to what extent do you think this inflation
00:22:00will be temporary or
00:22:03will it spread to all
00:22:05sectors of services and life in
00:22:08Syria?
00:22:12Exactly. Good evening, and many thanks to all
00:22:15your correspondents and the surveys you conducted in several
00:22:18governorates, because, sir, I will base my intervention on them and build
00:22:22on several questions you might ask me, but a quick answer to your question:
00:22:26There are two directions, two factors that determine
00:22:30the answer to your question. The price of crude oil globally
00:22:33has decreased by about 7-8 dollars, or even tens. Now,
00:22:37it closed a little while ago, it decreased by about 4 dollars, so
00:22:40things are going down, but there were previous
00:22:44rebounds in the past few days. The price of Brent reached 107
00:22:48dollars, and today it decreased to 94-95.
00:22:51So, the basic prices of raw materials and intermediate
00:22:55materials that were imported last week
00:22:58were high. Therefore, they will
00:23:01slightly increase prices compared
00:23:04to last week. Now they are adjusted a bit, but prices will remain
00:23:07high unless the price of crude oil globally
00:23:10decreases significantly below $70, as
00:23:14it was before last February. Now, the correspondents
00:23:17mentioned several very important points. Let me say
00:23:21four points that I will quickly take, if you allow me. It's a game
00:23:24of communicating vessels, as we call it. One of the
00:23:27viewers, or those whose opinions you surveyed, says
00:23:30that prices used to be different. They were cheaper for us compared
00:23:34to other regions. Now they are almost the same, because certainly
00:23:38when the price of a commodity decreases, or when the price of a commodity is higher than elsewhere,
00:23:42people run away and go to buy from the nearest place
00:23:45with cheaper prices. It also adjusts the type
00:23:48of consumption. You either consume less, or you consume
00:23:52even lower quality, or you even completely give up on the product. There's a third factor
00:23:55that we call the substitution factor, which is raising the price of one product with another
00:23:59between white meat and chicken, and red meat, and so on,
00:24:03to fish. So there's a game of communicating vessels. The price of electricity
00:24:06went up, so it turned to heating oil, then it turned to firewood.
00:24:10So in the end, they adjust each other. Now, this is a very crucial opportunity
00:24:13to adopt an economic policy, because it's good that we are addressing
00:24:17this issue. Those who don't know, perhaps all our viewers are experiencing
00:24:21it. I think about 70% of our
00:24:24family spending, or 65%, or 75%,
00:24:27approximately,
00:24:29food. Now, one of the ladies whom you interviewed
00:24:33said, "No matter what the prices are," and her words are correct,
00:24:37frankly, "but let there be employment, let there be work." I mean, if
00:24:40two people in the family are working, then they can cope with rising prices. Now,
00:24:44someone spoke and finished, I mean, based on what
00:24:48you said in the reports, that they are coming out of a war and it has been 15
00:24:51years, be patient, it still needs calm for four years. No, let's
00:24:55speed up the solutions very quickly because we cannot
00:24:59wait long, especially in terms of action. Now, you mentioned
00:25:02in the introduction and in your questions that
00:25:05from shelves to tables, this
00:25:09is not the story. It's from fork to fork, as we call it, and I will conclude my intervention
00:25:13when the farmer plants in the field, I mean with the fork,
00:25:16and I eat with the fork. It's a complete chain. Don't
00:25:20raise energy prices, or keep them high, but support agricultural
00:25:23production initially with fertilizer, with raw materials,
00:25:26with products, and support the final consumer with a food
00:25:29basket. So you hold both ends so that
00:25:32this critical stage can pass. Yes, in light of these developments, doctor, what are the indicators
00:25:36that should be monitored during the upcoming period
00:25:39to know whether the increase will continue
00:25:41or there will be stability?
00:25:45I think
00:25:48I don't want to... I don't look at indicators. I look
00:25:52at a state that has a comprehensive economic policy. I look
00:25:55at the trade balance. If I want to take the indicator, I implement a trade
00:25:58policy. I protect the local product from external
00:26:02competition, so that I support local production in all ways,
00:26:06including lending, so that the farmer can complete the agricultural cycle, because what
00:26:09happened to us last month and this month, almost, is that
00:26:13the agricultural cycle, in other words, the farmer who worked for six or seven
00:26:16months and finished his production, and wanted to pay off his debts and the costs
00:26:20he incurred previously for raw materials, as a result of his crop,
00:26:23he could not pay off his debts because he did not get the full value of the production
00:26:27or at prices that exceed
00:26:31one of those you interviewed here. And also,
00:26:34he may not be able to
00:26:37produce in the next cycle, to buy raw materials. So, it is necessary to support the production
00:26:41chain with a trade policy, with a lending policy, by supporting
00:26:45the local product, supporting families, supporting producers, because this is
00:26:48a complete chain. Any imbalance in it leads to
00:26:52other imbalances. Now, last week, the government made a decision, or
00:26:56the Ministry of Economy, to establish a committee to support local production.
00:26:59This must be used and a plan must be drawn up, even if it is quick and emergency.
00:27:03I call it a rescue plan, because I have a difficult winter
00:27:07ahead. The coming months have high living requirements. I have
00:27:10heating oil that will also burden families. So, there must be
00:27:14a stage with an urgent national policy. Don't wait four
00:27:17years to have an economic agricultural policy
00:27:20for production development. What prevents, if I give you an example, I mean,
00:27:24I think no one will be upset with me or with you. It wouldn't be wrong if
00:27:28the sovereign fund or a Syrian government entity
00:27:33the business sector, with unions, with professional federations,
00:27:36and we made Tartous or Arwad or a center for
00:27:41and canned goods from fish wealth and provided
00:27:44a basic commodity at low
00:27:47the prices of other goods, including white meat and red meat.
00:27:51So there are many initiatives and measures that must
00:27:54be taken, because we are all in the same boat. Yes,
00:27:57to what extent also does the decline in the value of the Syrian
00:28:01pound affect the rise in prices with the rise in oil derivative prices
00:28:04also during this period?
00:28:08Excellent. I mean, frankly, I mean, you are quoting me or
00:28:11I am quoting you now. So you have five
00:28:14factors that we are surrounded by almost.
00:28:18No, no, but the scientific idea is that you are saying the rise of the Syrian pound and its fall
00:28:22compared to the dollar, this puts pressure on me as a citizen, on my purchasing power.
00:28:26The increase in fuel prices puts pressure on me. The costs paid
00:28:29due to inflation, especially in raw materials that I bring from abroad, also put
00:28:32pressure on me. The lack of liquidity or the withholding of liquidity also puts pressure
00:28:36on me. Financial transfers that have not worked so far, including the Swift call, also
00:28:40put pressure on me. But let me explain it to you with a simple example so that viewers know
00:28:44what we are talking about. The oil can that some guests talked about or that
00:28:47you interviewed has four processes. The first process is that I bring it from
00:28:51the source, and it became expensive for me. That is, to bring it from a country to refine it
00:28:55in Syria, it became expensive for me. Transportation and shipping and insurance costs became expensive for me. So
00:28:58there are two. My work costs as I take it out of my factories
00:29:01until it is purified and sold to the final
00:29:05consumer, it also became expensive for me. The fourth point is transportation costs. Now, instead of its price being
00:29:0921, 22, yesterday I was in the markets and today it's the same, it's rising because it
00:29:13is linked to the dollar exchange rate. To answer your question, it became
00:29:1628,000. Now my whole mission is to try to reduce
00:29:19these costs. Not only to support the producer, meaning in production, but also to support
00:29:23the consumer, because if he consumes, this moves the economic
00:29:26cycle, provided that the production costs that the producer
00:29:30takes are less than what he profits. If he does not
00:29:33profit a certain margin, he cannot continue in production. This story
00:29:37of the greed of traders, I don't really believe in it. Now there are traders whose souls
00:29:40are weak, like any citizen, like any university professor. There
00:29:44are people whose souls are good. There are people whose mentality is soft
00:29:48to exploit. Now I, the monitoring, the consumer protection
00:29:51associations, all of these need to be activated positively, not just monitoring
00:29:54that catches you and then says, "Come on, I'm going to imprison you." No, I want him not to make a mistake,
00:29:58and therefore prices don't rise, as one of the guests said. Also, for the fourth time,
00:30:02the fluctuation in prices, I see it in the markets. No one
00:30:05sells me imported bananas from one of the countries. This one
00:30:09wants 2000 for it, this one wants 200 pounds for it, this one wants
00:30:1318 pounds for it, even though it's the same. I see where these two are. The sellers
00:30:16are next to each other. Now this one wants to eat kebab at my expense, this one wants to eat falafel
00:30:20with our profit now.
00:30:23Let's work together and have a small profit temporarily without
00:30:26this greed, because any commodity that is lost to the
00:30:30consumer from the market means that this is food security. That is, a family did not bring
00:30:33a crate of eggs home, did not bring labneh. They might do without one or two items,
00:30:37milk, no milk, no cheese. No, but also at breakfast, they don't have
00:30:41four or five products so that their children can go to school in the
00:30:44best possible way. I have nothing to do with it here. To answer your question,
00:30:48I sacrifice a certain deficit, meaning I have a balance of payments
00:30:52deficit. But where does my balance of payments deficit come from? Because all the goods I
00:30:56consume are consumer goods. But if I import and allow.