Rising prices put more pressure on Syrian households

With the beginning of October and the approaching end of the summer vegetable season, prices of several food and grocery items have started to rise in Syrian markets, alongside higher transportation and energy costs, adding to the pressure on Syrian families already facing declining purchasing power.

ANHA correspondents in the capital Damascus monitored increases in the prices of several basic goods, including sugar, rice, bulgur, ghee, cooking oils and grains, with price differences reaching 20,000 to 30,000 old Syrian pounds for some items.

According to the monitoring, the price of a kilogram of sugar rose from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds, while a liter of vegetable oil increased from 27,000 to 33,000 pounds. Meanwhile, half a liter of a well-known brand of olive oil reached 65,000 pounds. The price of a kilogram of chickpeas rose from 18,000 to 22,000 pounds, while wheat increased from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds.

The price of a kilogram of freekeh also rose from 35,000 to 45,000 pounds, while dried beans increased from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds. The price of Spanish rice rose from 20,000 to 24,500 old Syrian pounds.

Lower-cost option

The price increases come as the summer vegetable season draws to a close. Summer vegetables had been a more affordable option for some families to meet their food needs, while some households have struggled to preserve and store supplies due to power outages and the costs of refrigeration and storage.

Speaking to ANHA correspondents, elderly shopkeeper Malik Mohammad Abu Ziad said, “We used to eat vegetables when they were affordable. Now the summer season is over, and we were unable to store provisions because of the lack of electricity. What are we supposed to eat amid this exorbitant cost of living?”

Abu Ziad added that rising oil prices had become an additional burden, saying that he had asked a vendor to sell him only 5,000 Syrian pounds’ worth of vegetable oil so that he could afford his daily needs and cook food.

Meanwhile, Hassan Ibrahim Abu Jihad, a man in his sixties and father of five children in university and secondary school, said his fixed pension does not exceed 1.3 million old Syrian pounds, while household expenses for food, drink and other necessities have increased significantly.

Abu Jihad said his children have been forced to work at the expense of their studies to cover university expenses, including transportation and tuition costs, amid rising living costs.

In this context, economist Imad Marjan said inflation has eroded the purchasing power of Syrian citizens, noting that salaries are no longer sufficient to cover more than a few days of basic needs as rising prices coincide with declining purchasing power.

The expert points to a rise in the number of people leaving school to look for work, noting that a proportion of children and young people are working on the streets and at roadside stalls, contributing to higher school dropout rates.

The expert links the rising cost of living to the activity seen in markets, particularly at some restaurants and tourism establishments, explaining that, in his assessment, Syrian society is witnessing significant disparities in income levels.

He says that some people earning between $1,000 and $1,500, along with traders and wealthier groups, can continue spending on restaurants and services without being affected by price increases to the same extent. This contrasts with the majority of low-income earners, retirees, unemployed people and those who have lost their livelihoods, who, he says, have exhausted their savings and are now “down to their last penny.”

The economic expert warns that the coming winter could further increase the burden on vulnerable groups amid rising fuel prices and heating and transportation costs, alongside higher prices for basic goods and declining purchasing power.

On the social front, sociologist Safaa Almasi says class disparities have become more apparent, noting their impact on young people and children, particularly as some students are forced to work while continuing their studies or abandon their education to meet their basic needs.

Safaa points to a clear disparity within state institutions between long-serving employees who receive salaries of around 1.5 million old Syrian pounds and newly hired employees, some of whom earn around $1,000. She says that maintaining such income disparities could have social and psychological repercussions both inside and outside the workplace.

The expert calls for steps to regularize the status of workers in state institutions and narrow the large wage gaps to prevent a widening social divide among employees.

These developments come as government authorities adopted economic measures in September related to energy costs and public spending. On September 13, the Ministry of Energy said that the increase in petroleum product prices resulted from an exceptional rise in the global cost of securing supplies, amid maintenance work at the Baniyas Refinery, and described the adjustment as temporary.

On September 25, the Ministry of Transport said diesel accounts for a significant share of the cost of transporting and distributing goods, and that a 26 percent increase in its price could affect transportation fares and the prices of some goods, particularly food and vegetables.

The Ministry of Economy and Industry also discussed the state of local markets and ways to strengthen supply monitoring, protect consumers and meet market needs on September 16. The ministry said the meeting addressed the challenges facing the sector and proposed solutions to tackle them.

On September 28, the General Secretariat of the Presidency directed public institutions to rationalize spending, cut unnecessary expenditures and reprioritize projects, while exempting salaries and wages and expenditures related to maintaining health, education, water, energy, and public security and safety services.

Finance Minister Mohammad Yusr Bernieh said on the same day that measures to control and rationalize public spending would not affect salaries and wages, adding that they aim to strengthen fiscal discipline, maintain budget balance and improve the efficiency of available resources.

These official positions indicate that the government has focused in recent weeks on controlling spending, securing energy supplies and strengthening market oversight. Meanwhile, monitoring by our agency’s correspondents and testimonies from citizens indicate that cost-of-living pressures caused by rising food, transportation and energy prices are continuing, as winter approaches and seasonal vegetable production declines.

ANHA