Enab Baladi – Ras al-Ain

The prices of Ramadan sweets in the cities of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad have increased this year, leading to a decline in demand compared to previous years, amid deteriorating economic conditions faced by residents.

Shop owners attribute the rising prices to increased costs of raw materials and rising labor wages, which directly impacted the cost of sweets, making them unaffordable for a wide segment of consumers.

According to what Enab Baladi observed in the two cities, “Mushabak” and “Aawama” are among the most popular sweets, priced at 15,000 Syrian pounds per kilogram, which is considered cheap compared to other varieties.

The price of a kilogram of “Harissa” is 40,000 pounds, Baklava is 50,000 pounds, “Kleijah” is 35,000 pounds, “Halawet el-Jibn” is 52,000 pounds, “Barazek” is 38,000 pounds, and “Kunafa with Cheese” is 55,000 pounds, while a box of assorted sweets weighing one kilogram costs 60,000 pounds.

These prices are considered high compared to the living conditions, as the daily wage of a worker does not exceed eight dollars (equivalent to 80,000 Syrian pounds).

Reducing quantity or preparing at home

After being an essential part of the Ramadan table, sweets have become a luxury that many families find difficult to buy regularly, leading some parents to forgo them in favor of securing basic needs, while others have turned to preparing them at home.

Ahmad al-Khalaf (51 years old), a head of a family from Tal Abyad, used to buy sweets daily for his family of four during Ramadan in previous years.

Due to price increases, al-Khalaf has reduced his usual quantity, buying half a kilogram of “Harissa.” He stated that if he decides to make a purchase, he will opt for “Mushabak,” the cheaper kind.

He pointed out the necessity for regulatory oversight in the markets of Tal Abyad to control prices and prevent unreasonable price hikes.

On the other hand, Salwa Marwan decided to prepare sweets at home in Ras al-Ain to alleviate financial burdens, considering that the cost is much lower compared to commercial stores.

The forty-something woman equipped the necessary tools to prepare “Mushabak,” “Harissa,” and “Aawama,” saying their costs are about 50% lower than those in the markets.

She noted that many women in Ras al-Ain this year have adopted the same approach, relying on making Ramadan sweets at home.

High operational costs

Fadi Sakiro, a sweet shop owner in Tal Abyad, attributed the high prices of sweets to rising costs of raw materials such as sugar, ghee, nuts, flour, and aromatic substances.

He explained to Enab Baladi that despite the improvement of the Syrian pound against the US dollar, wholesale traders have not reduced prices for essential materials for making sweets, which has caused prices to remain high.

He added that most customers are shifting to purchase lower-priced sweets like “Mushabak” and “Aawama,” which rely on simple ingredients such as flour and sugar, while other varieties require more expensive ingredients.

He pointed out that demand has decreased, and Ramadan is no longer the anticipated season, as he used to sell about 50 kilograms of sweets daily in previous years, while current sales do not exceed 25 kilograms per day.

Every 10,300 Syrian pounds are equivalent to one dollar, but money changers and sellers do not adhere to the black market price but consider each dollar to be equivalent to 13,000 pounds.

Pricing instructions based on the exchange rate

Ibrahim Khazim, the director of the Supply and Consumer Protection Office in the local council of Ras al-Ain, told Enab Baladi that the office’s employees held a meeting with all profession owners at the beginning of Ramadan, including sweet shop owners.

He added that the office imposed a requirement on sweet shops to display prices for all available items, committing them to sell at prices commensurate with the exchange rate of the dollar established in the region.

He noted that the office would take action against those who sell sweets or food products at unreasonable prices or prices that do not align with the economic reality in the area.

The residents of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain primarily rely on the agriculture sector as their main source of livelihood, and the Syrian pound is the primary currency in circulation in both cities, but the unstable situation burdened the residents.

The Turkish lira, although not widely circulated, is the second currency due to the proximity of the two cities to the Turkish border, while the US dollar is in third place.

Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad are located adjacent to the Turkish border and are under the control of the interim Damascus government, surrounded by conflict fronts with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Turkish border is considered their only outlet to the outside.