Idlib – Anas al-Khouli

The broiler prices in the northwestern Idlib region reached unprecedented numbers, and the price of a kilo reached 60 Turkish liras, forcing residents to search for other food sources or to reduce the quantities of chickens they usually eat.

Poultry owners and chicken sellers attributed the reasons for the increase to the spread of diseases that led to the death of large numbers of chickens and the high costs of heating poultry farms, which prompted their owners to close them in the winter, which heralds a rise in prices in the coming days.

The exchange rate of the Turkish lira for every dollar when this report was written was 29.2 for sales and 28.8 for purchases, according to the Money Changers Union in Idlib’s approved price in the region.

Decrease in sales, reduction or abstention

Hashem Kashkash, owner of a chicken shop, said that the prices are suitable for the poultry owner, but they are burdensome for residents as the rise in broiler prices led to a decline in sales.

Kashkash told Enab Baladi that the price of a kilo of chicken reached 60 Turkish liras, a kilo of thighs 55 liras, a kilo of liver 75 liras, and minced meat 85 liras, which are high prices that not all residents of the region can afford.

He added that people refrain from buying or are forced to buy smaller quantities than usual as soon as they see the prices. They also search for other types of foods that require smaller quantities of meat or even prepare meals without adding meat.

Ali Tarsha, 35, an IDP based in Idlib city who works in construction, said that his daily wage of 100 Turkish liras is no longer enough to prepare a plate of chicken meal to feed his four children.

For her part, Idlib-based Hadeel Mohammad, 40, is trying to search for foods that can be prepared with minced meat because it is one of the foods in which the amount of meat that must be added to the dish can be controlled.

Mohammad added that she buys much smaller quantities than she used to buy previously, and if prices continue to rise, she will find herself forced to search for foods that are free of any type of meat.

Poultry farms are expensive in winter

Yasser Khalifa, the owner of a poultry farm in Idlib, said that the immunosuppressive disease among poultry is currently spreading due to weather changes and has led to the death of large numbers of chickens, amounting to 12% of his total number.

Khalifa’s losses did not stop at the death of the chickens, but rather at the loss of the weight of the poultry that was not affected by the disease, pointing out that putting antibiotics and vitamins in the water did not prevent him from losing.

Khalifa explained that the production capacity was covering local demand, but the advent of winter, the high costs of poultry care, and the unavailability of coal, which poultry owners depend on, led to a reluctance to breed in the winter, causing high demand and low supply and thus high prices.

He added that the city of Idlib is distinguished by raising poultry due to its warm climate and low humidity, which helps in raising, but in the winter, the costs rise, and the need to consume large quantities of medicines increases.

According to the poultry owner, the price of a ton of live chickens reached $1,500, pointing to expectations of further price increases in light of the unavailability of coal and its high prices, as the price of a ton reached $120.

The northwestern region of Syria is witnessing a deterioration in the economic situation, which has negatively affected all aspects of life.

The general level of prices is witnessing repeated rises affecting a group of basic and food commodities and materials, and this rise increases the difficulty of the population’s ability to purchase, which prompts most of them to rely on multiple sources to try to achieve a balance between income and expenses.