Syria prides itself on being food self-sufficient. However, with the crisis entering its eleventh month, and sanctions and inflation hitting hard, the country's food security is at stake.
Signs of steadily rising inflation in Syria have become visible to the ordinary Syrian. The Syrian Pound has officially lost 16 percent of its value against the US Dollar and around 30 percent on the black market since March. Prices of food items, including basic staples, have risen markedly. For instance, the price of rice has reached SYP 75 (USD 1.4) per kilogramme, a 25 percent rise, and the prices of eggs and tomatoes have more than doubled.
As a result, people with limited incomes are left insecure and with very few options. "There's no longer cheap, simple food. All [types of food] have become a burden to obtain," said a jobless 30-year-old man from Dera'a who preferred to remain anonymous. "Now I'm no longer choosing what kind of food to have, I just need to get full."
Cities like Damascus remain relatively calm, but many people there are also feeling the pinch.
Speculations abound as to the causes of this increasing scarcity. Although the Arab League insisted that its sanctions were designed to spare citizenry and target only the regime, they sparked fears of shortages and price spikes, especially on imported goods which merchants might try to monopolise, economists say.
Even though fear has led many to stock up, some experts argue that Syria will not go hungry anytime soon. "The food security of Syria is high as it relies on domestic production of basic foods like cereals, legumes and meat," said Theib Oweis, a water specialist at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas in Aleppo. Oweis argued that food security may not be severely affected in the short or medium term. However, he warned that with increasing food prices, poorer people will be affected and will need assistance...