Daraa – Halim Muhammad

Milk prices and its derivatives, including dairy products, have dropped by 20% in Daraa province in southern Syria since mid-December 2024.

Some dairy factory owners attribute the price drop to the halt in milk and dairy product supplies to Damascus, which has led to a glut of the product in the local market.

This decrease in dairy prices has resulted in financial losses for livestock breeders, especially since the price of feed has remained stable.

The price of a kilogram of milk fell to 4,000 Syrian pounds (32 cents) from 5,000 pounds, while the price of cheese dropped from 35,000 to 20,000 pounds, and there was also a decline in the price of yogurt and labneh.

No supplies to Damascus

The city of Damascus daily imports quantities of milk produced in Daraa province, as Daraa is considered a primary supplier for the city.

Zahi al-Kour, a dairy and cheese shop owner in Daraa, stated that milk supplies to Damascus ceased after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, leading to an oversupply in the Daraa market, which affected prices and the prices of derivatives.

Al-Kour told Enab Baladi that large quantities of milk were imported daily by Damascus for the benefit of the Ministry of Defense, hospitals, and others, but this stopped after the regime’s fall.

The vendor noted that the drop in dairy prices has led to an increase in purchases by residents but has harmed livestock breeders.

Khaled al-Kour, who owns a dairy and cheese factory in Daraa, mentioned to Enab Baladi that the appreciation of the Syrian pound against the dollar led to a decline in the prices of raw materials, including plastic used for packaging dairy products.

Additionally, fuel prices have also decreased, with the price of a liter of diesel reaching 13,000 Syrian pounds, whereas 12,000 pounds equals one dollar.

The breeder is financially at a loss

Several livestock breeders in the countryside of Daraa complained that the drop in milk prices, alongside stable feed prices, has disrupted their profit balance, as feed is the primary cost in production.

Youssef al-Salem, who owns three cows in the town of Zayzoun in western Daraa, told Enab Baladi that the drop in milk prices has caused him financial losses for the past month, as the milk price no longer covers the cost of feed and treatment.

He mentioned that he started to reduce the quantity of feed, which led to a decline in milk production, with the price of a kilogram of feed now at 5,700 Syrian pounds.

Nasser al-Badr, a livestock trader in rural Daraa, stated to Enab Baladi that livestock prices have fallen by half after the decrease in milk prices, adding that he incurred financial losses due to the drop in cattle prices, as he bought them at a high price.

According to a report by Enab Baladi‘s correspondent in Daraa, the price of a milk-producing cow has dropped from 40 million Syrian pounds (3,200 dollars) to 20 million pounds, while the price of a sheep has fallen from four million pounds to two million pounds.

The livestock trader attributed this decrease to weather factors as well, noting that delayed rainfall has led to a decrease in the growth of new pastures, which forced breeders to rely on feeding with expensive feed and straw amid the low price of milk and high price of feed.