Economy
The UN’s World Food Programme warns of a food crisis in Syria as violence continues
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that “the food security situation for many Syrians is rapidly deteriorating with the intensification of the conflict and its expansion to more areas”. Due to a shortage of fuel, government attacks on bakeries, and higher numbers of internally displaced Syrians, bread shortages in Syria are becoming increasingly common, […]
40% of Syria’s buildings are illegally constructed, adding more woe to the nation’s turmoil
Writing a column in the Guardian, Hassan Hassan talks of Syrians facing another problem; the demolition of their homes. 40% of Syria’s building are illegally constructed, according to a 2007 government study, which includes the homes in which more than half the population live. Where the government usually turned a blind eye to it, since […]
The UN’s WFP says food prices in Syria have nearly doubled, and struggles to deliver food aid in some areas
The UN has said that food prices in Syria have nearly doubled in areas of fighting since the start of the conflict in March 2011. Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson for the World Food Program (WFP), said: “We can see that with the increasing violence in some areas, [food] prices have kept going up since the start […]
Syria’s government says it is seeking 100,000 tonnes of wheat
The Syrian government has issued an international tender to purchase 100,000 tonnes of wheat, a commodity not subject to sanctions. The bidding deadline is October 17th, says the state-run General Establishment for Cereal Processing and Trade (Hoboob). Hoboob has said it has bought 100,000 tonnes from a Middle Eastern trading firm, underlining the reluctance of […]
Syria’s neighbours are are “wary of the social, economic and political pressures” refugees pose, says Christopher Phillips
Christopher Phillips, a lecturer in the international relations of the Middle East at Queen Mary, University of London, has written about the impact of Syrian refugees on Jordan and Turkey. Refugees crossing into neighbouring countries face new challenges, says Phillips: “Syria’s Arab neighbours – Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq – are poorly equipped to handle the […]
Despite conflict spreading, Syria’s rural economy adapts
Reuters reports from Idlib province in Syria, where 80% of people live in rural areas. In Syria as a whole, only 40% of people live in the countryside. Idlib province produces the majority of Syria’s fruit, and is famed for its olive groves. Economists are saying that the country’s rural economy is must less effected […]
Housing shortage for Syrian refugees
05.05.12: Aid workers in Lebanon warn of a housing shortage for Syrian refugees. As the numbers increase of those crossing over from Syria, it means that many families are forced to live in cramped conditions, and unfinished homes. Some refugees are also taking shelter in temporary agricultural tents in the Bekaa Valley. Due to the scarcity […]
