A Syrian Agriculture Ministry decision to compensate farmers affected by severe weather has raised concerns among farmers in Daraa (southern Syria), after the governorate was not included in the announced compensation.
On August 24, the Agriculture Ministry decided to compensate farmers affected by weather conditions that struck Syria during the previous winter in four governorates: Aleppo, Idlib, Tartous, and Quneitra.
The agriculture minister also instructed officials to expedite completion of compensation files for affected farmers in Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and al-Hasakah governorates in northeastern Syria.
Farmers Await Compensation
Many farmers affected by the hailstorm that struck Daraa last April have questioned why their compensation has been delayed, with the latest decision raising fears that they could be excluded from the compensation process.
Farmer Mohammad al-Zoubi, whose crops near Tal al-Saman, north of Tafas (Daraa governorate, southern Syria), were damaged by the hailstorm, estimated his losses at $15,000. He lost an estimated 18 dunams of wheat, had to replant his zucchini crop, and also lost about 15 dunams of peas and a similar area of fava beans.
Mohammad said he was shocked by the extent of the destruction to his crops after the hailstorm.
He added that his largest loss was in potatoes, whose yield fell by half compared with the previous season, as potato cultivation requires higher production costs than other crops.
Mohammad expressed surprise that Daraa governorate had not been included in the support and compensation program, particularly for wheat, which is considered a strategic crop by the Syrian government.
He said he submitted records detailing his damaged crops and that agricultural committees visited his land and assessed the damage.
Muslim al-Bardan, who owns ten dunams, said the hailstorm damaged pomegranate blossoms and branches, leaving this season’s expected production at about one-third of last season’s output. His olive harvest also fell by nearly half.
He added that the Daraa Agriculture Directorate had promised them compensation, but he had received nothing despite four months having passed since the disaster.
Qassem Hweimel suffered even greater losses, harvesting no peaches this season from the 100 dunams he has planted with the crop.
He said the compensation would cover only a small portion of his losses, adding, “Every little bit helps.”
He added that he approached the agricultural extension unit and submitted records documenting the damaged area of his crop, while committees that visited his land assessed the extent of the losses.
Damage Caused by Hailstorm
Crops north of Tafas in western rural Daraa were hit by a hailstorm on April 17 that destroyed wheat, peas, onions, fava beans, and stone fruit crops. Pomegranates were affected to a lesser extent, while olive production was also hit by the storm and fell by half, according to farmers’ estimates.
Regarding Daraa’s exclusion from the compensation, Daraa Agriculture Director Ahed al-Zoubi told Enab Baladi that compensation for farmers affected by the hailstorm remains under consideration and requires time until financial approval is granted.
He noted that the recently announced support covers crops damaged by flooding and frost.
Some Crops Suffered 100% Damage
In a previous statement to Enab Baladi, Rashid al-Mufalani, head of the Agricultural Production Support Department at the Daraa Agriculture Directorate, said damage caused by the hailstorm varied by crop. The directorate assessed damage to wheat, other crops, and stone fruit crops at 100%.
Damage to grape and pomegranate crops varied depending on the stage of shoot and blossom growth.
During a meeting involving Agriculture Minister Basel al-Suwaidan and the board of the Fund for Mitigating the Effects of Drought and Natural Disasters on Agricultural Production, the ministry decided to compensate farmers affected by weather conditions that struck Syria during the winter. These included agricultural land flooding caused by rain, flash floods, and rainstorms, as well as frost waves that affected several areas in Idlib, Aleppo, Quneitra, and Tartous governorates.
The Fund for Mitigating the Effects of Drought and Natural Disasters on Agricultural Production, which is affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry, provides compensation for damage to agricultural production caused by drought, natural disasters, and climatic, environmental, or biological conditions, including frost, floods, dust storms, hail, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and disease outbreaks affecting crops or livestock.
The fund requires losses to exceed 50% of agricultural production, while the affected area must exceed 5% of the administrative unit’s total area in cases involving crop production.
Compensation is calculated based only on production costs and does not cover areas officially classified as suffering general damage.