North & East Syria: Private bakeries on strike

GOZARTO, North and East Syria – Almost all private bakeries in the Gozarto (al-Jazeera) region of the DAA went on strike after the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria refused the owners’ demands to raise the price of bread. The price for a bread is fixed at 200 Syrian Pounds (SYP) where the bakery owners demanded the price be raised to SYP 250. The bakeries owners’ demands and following strike came after the necessary components used in bread production, such as flour, witnessed a sharp price increase due to the depreciation of the Syrian pound vis-a-vis the USD.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that all the bakeries that had been using white flour or producing al-Seyahi bread in the areas of Amuda, al-Darbasiyah, al-Hasakah and Zalin (Qamishli) stopped production several days ago, except for the Tal Tamr bakery in the Syriac-Assyrian Khabur valley. The SOHR added that the reason the bakeries stopped producing was over the DAA’s refusal to raise the price of bread. The DAA refused because it would increase the burden on citizens due the harsh economic conditions in times of pandemic lockdown. Harsh conditions which already caused higher cost for food in the market. Moreover, many people are left without income because of the economic standstill.