The price per kilogram of tomatoes in the al-Hal markets in the Daraa governorate has witnessed an unprecedented increase due to the interruption in the supply of Hauran tomatoes in the province, prompting vegetable merchants to transport the goods from the coastal region to the markets of Daraa at doubled prices.
The price of a kilogram of tomatoes reached 9000 Syrian pounds, while the vegetable markets have seen an increase in tomato prices since mid-December 2023, as reported by Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa.
Mohammed, a vegetable merchant from Tafas in Daraa, told Enab Baladi that the reason for the price hike is the interruption in the supply of Hauran tomatoes. He added that in the winter season, the Hauran tomato season ends, causing a spike in prices.
Mohammed explained that in previous years, the price hike was much lower, with the price of a kilogram of coastal tomatoes reaching 4000 Syrian pounds last winter. However, this year, transport costs have significantly increased due to the rise in the price of diesel, with the liter reaching 15,000 pounds in the black market.
In addition to the price increase by coastal merchants, with the price of a kilogram of tomatoes reaching 7500 pounds, Mohammed (who declined to provide his full name for security reasons) stated that there is manipulation of wholesale prices in the coastal region due to the lack of price control.
According to the Fruits and Vegetables Bulletin, regularly issued by the Syrian Ministry of Trade and Consumer Protection, the price of first-grade tomatoes for consumers was 3800 pounds on January 7.
Prices decrease in the summer
Farmer Hassan al-Awad from the Yarmouk Basin told Enab Baladi that prices decrease at the beginning of the summer when Hauran tomatoes ripen. However, in the winter season, it becomes difficult to source tomatoes from elsewhere due to the scarcity of plastic greenhouses in the province, and the available quantity is not sufficient to meet the province’s demand for tomatoes.
Al-Awad pointed out that previously, the province relied on importing tomatoes from Jordan, as it was available in summer and winter due to its cultivation in the warm Jordan Valley. However, now the reliance is on coastal tomatoes until the tomatoes in Daraa mature.
The government-affiliated Al-Thawra newspaper attributed the increase in the price of coastal tomatoes in Daraa to the escalating transportation costs and other shipping expenses, passing these costs on to the selling price for the residents.
It also noted that the prices of coastal tomatoes had become a “burden on the population,” while the winter vegetables produced in the province have maintained their price.