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Those who now wish to register for a Smart Card can not do so - using the pretext of COVID, the company issuing the Smart Cards closed its offices 10 days ago https://twitter.com/Elizrael/status/1240065699722207233 … This means more Syrians will not be able to afford bread & go hungry.
Selling subsidized bread in al-Qazzaz, Damascus today.
The lines for bread are getting longer, prices 
, many Syrians have not been able to secure bread in days & the quality of bread + its size 
. The regime is unable to secure the cheapest source of calories for its peoplepic.twitter.com/wbRf5uv8AH
The sale of subsidized bread in Tartous switched to the Smart Card system today, following the example of the Damascus countryside, thus reducing the number of eligible beneficiaries. Residents of villages around Tartous are reporting total absence of subsidized bread for days.
Only 3 days ago, a Syrian official was saying there is enough bread & that it will not be distributed through the Smart Card, due to widespread concern about such a move https://bit.ly/2USjzN0 Photos: line for bread in Tartous this week. Small & low quality bread sold in Tartouspic.twitter.com/Weh6BN6BFk
A private seller of subsidized bread beats up women attempting to secure bread for their families in Sehnaya, on the outskirts of Damascus, today. Many people in this area and across-regime held Syria have not been able to purchase bread in days due to shortages.pic.twitter.com/X8QQS1MnZ9
13 days ago, private sellers in Sehnaya were able to bring the bread into their shops & people queued. As people get more desperate & shortages get worse, expect more violence and haphazard distributions from cars. (The portraits of the Assads are deeply symbolic in this photo)pic.twitter.com/0de709lDvl
Russia will donate 25,000 tonnes of wheat to Syria, which would least enough for one week. The implementation of a 2019 deal to supply 300,000 tonnes from Russia apparently failedhttps://www.eqtsad.net/news/article/29605/ …
Unprecedented anger among self-proclaimed Syrian regime supporters, as the gov't starts selling subsidized bread through the dysfunctional Smart Cart system in 3 provinces. A family of 4-7 members is supposed to receive 2 bundles of bread (about 2kg).pic.twitter.com/eKEVkaWrfj
The area of the Damascus countryside was the first to move the selling of subsidized bread via the failed Smart Card, but the loudest complaints appear to be coming from Lattakia, home to communities more clearly aligned w/ the regime who feel the right to demand at least bread.
After a pro-regime Facebook page (Damascus Now) published that bread won't be sold through the Smart Card anymore, an official at the Ministry of Trade denied the rumor, adding that all governorates will soon be switched to the failed Smart Card system = more hungry Syrians.pic.twitter.com/qsqkHa269y
Big trouble for the Assad regime: The SDF's autonomous admin announced raising the price it will pay to purchase wheat from farmers to 225,000 lira per tonne, matching the regime's price increase. 72% of the planted area of wheat in 2020 is in SDF areas https://www.facebook.com/smensyria/posts/1291885754334692 …
In 2019, SDF's price was 160K & regime's 185K-> some farmers in SDF areas sold to the regime, allowing it to buy about half of the 2019 harvest. This means Damascus will have to rely even more on importing wheat, but because it prioritizes military spending, it can't afford it.
The Syrian gov't will be raising the price of subsidized bread by almost 30%. This comes after a previous decision to limit the number of bundles of bread each family can purchase. Severe shortages of bread continue to afflict regime-held areashttps://www.eqtsad.net/news/article/29711/ …
Acc to pro-opposition outlet, the SDF's administration is charging the Syrian government a transport fee of 0.5 million lira ($415) for every truck moving wheat from a regime grain storage in Hassakeh toward areas under regime control further westhttps://bit.ly/2VIBqXw
The Syrian government is set to expand the use of the failed Smart Card system for the purchase of subsidized bread to Aleppo governorate. This will reduce the number of people eligible for the bread & thus cut costshttps://www.eqtsad.net/news/article/29775/ …
Good thing about moving the sale of subsidized bread to the Smart Card system is that Syrians now get to see the bread being stolen by the gov's vendors. An average family qualifies for 2 packs of bread, incl these 2 Syrians, yet they received messages claiming they bought 4.pic.twitter.com/w1tRUfDAm0
The quality of subsidized bread continues to suffer across regime-held Syria. This is bread sold today in Qardaha (hometown of the Al Assad clan) & Daraa. The bread in Qardaha is distributed every 2 days. Locals in both areas report that the bread tastes terrible & smells sour.pic.twitter.com/g1rcOWA9vP
Important new decision by the SDF will likely contribute to an severe grain shortage in regime areas in months. SDF just raised the price they'll pay farmers for wheat to 315 lira per kg (regime will pay only 225). Price for barley is 50% higher toohttps://www.eqtsad.net/news/article/30107/ …
Last year, when the SDF paid less than the regime (25 lira difference per kilo), the regime was able to purchase only half of the harvest (also due to opposition areas not selling to it). 72% of planted areas with wheat in the current harvest are in SDF areas.
In response to the SDF's announcement, the Syrian government increased the payout to farmers who will sell wheat to it to 400 lira per kg https://twitter.com/SanaAjel/status/1267086463071662081?s=19 … Damascus has failed to conclude any import tenders for wheat in 2020 & is desperate to obtain domestic wheat
The Syrian government will be paying $215 per tonne at the current exchange rate, a little below the international market price for short-term contracts of soft-milled wheat, but paying it in lira instead of dollars, which are in very short supply.
The wheat war between the SDF and the Assad regime continues: SDF issued a decision banning the export of wheat to areas outside of its control. 72% of areas planted with wheat this season are under SDF control.pic.twitter.com/nFjRBBfTrm
After farmers in SDF areas were enraged by the decision to force them to sell wheat to the SDF admin for a cheaper price, the admin announced they'll be pricing their purchase in $. With the collapsing Syrian lira, SDF will be paying more than Syrian govhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbjgD1psf8w …
Unless the regime again raises the price for wheat, the prohibition on selling outside of SDF areas + price hike by the SDF's Autonomous Administration means that 72% of planted wheat this season in Syria will be beyond the reach of the Syrian government.
The SDF will likely sell off the excess wheat that they'll have to the regime for a profit. The regime can hardly afford this. Seems the only solution would be to print money, accelerating the skyrocketing inflation.
The SDF again priced out the Syrian gov for the purchase of wheat & will be offering $170 per tonne (paid out in lira). The regime's offer is 400,000 lira (at the current exchange rate $140, but lira is likely to collapse further) https://www.enabbaladi.net/archives/391383 h/t @delfoo
An internal @UNESCWA report estimates that the Syrian gov will be able to purchase a 1/3 of the 2020 harvest - 1 million tonnes. Regime-held areas needed about 4.3 tonnes last season & even more so in the coming year since Syrians are increasingly relying on bread to survive.pic.twitter.com/cumkAoGSwd
The gov has failed to conclude any wheat import deals in 2020 because it is broke & $ are stuck in Lebanese banks. In 2020, bread shortages started in March after the gov was able to conclude deals in 2019 + purchased 51% of last year's harvest (1.1 m tonnes out of 2.2 in total)
A major threat to the availability of subsidized bread in regime areas is the systematic theft of flour & subsidized bread by gov officials who sell it on the black market, often as animal feed. The rise in prices of animal feed (due to inability to import) makes this lucrative.
Damascus announces tender for import of 200K tonnes of wheat, reversing earlier decision to rely on domestic harvest alone, likely due to realization gov won't be able to procure most of the local harvest https://aliqtisadi.com/1806756-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%82%D9%85%D8%AD-%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B2/ … All previous 2020 tenders failed due to lack of $
Corrupt Syrian gov officials are demanding bribes to accept grain from farmers & certify its quality. This forces farmers to rely on major traders w/ ties to the regime. In Daraa, the traders buy the wheat from farmers for 370 SYP per kilo & sell for 400 to the regime.
The traders also bribe the officials at the state cereal agency (Hoobob) to accept extremely poor quality wheat, which includes impurities and even piece of gravel. This is a pattern that repeats itself annually.
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