DamascusThe Syrians are currently living in a state of great contradiction. While their country possesses enormous natural resources – oil, agriculture, human resources and other resources – the regime of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad did not leave them until it brought most of them below the poverty line and left them with huge debts and destruction that would take years to recover from.
Among the wealth that Syria has lost over the past years is its livestock that it possessed, especially the Awassi sheep, the unique breed that it was famous for and exports large numbers of them annually.
The Awassi or “Nuaimi” sheep, for which the Syrian desert is famous, are considered among the best types of sheep in the world, according to livestock specialists, and their meat is described as one of the “most precious” types of meat.
But this unique wealth was also not spared the consequences of the devastating war during the past 14 years, and after Syria had herds that included millions of heads of this distinctive type of livestock, today it is trying to preserve what remains of them after its possession of them decreased to about one tenth. .
Unique breed
The veterinarian specializing in livestock, Abdullah Al-Haj Khader, says that Awassi sheep, also known as Al-Naimi sheep, are one of the famous sheep breeds in the Middle East, especially in the Levant. This breed is of great importance to breeders and farmers due to its distinctive characteristics and economic benefits.
Haj Khader added to Al Jazeera Net that Awassi sheep are known for their large size compared to other breeds, as they are characterized by strong bodies and a fatty tail. Awassi wool is famous for its good quality and is used in the manufacture of clothes and fabrics. It is characterized by its white color and may sometimes appear with dark spots.
It is also famous for producing milk rich in vitamins and minerals, and the quality of the meat and milk of Awassi sheep is due to the natural pasture from which they eat, as they mostly live in the desert and feed on local herbs and plants.
One of the basic features of Awassi sheep is that they are not given any hormones or nutrients at any stage of their life, but rather live in nature, which makes them distinctive and their production as well, and makes their market desirable, especially in the region and the Arab Gulf states. It also has the advantage of being able to live in difficult climatic conditions and hot areas.
Attrition and displacement
Despite the great status of this breed of sheep, it was not spared the destruction of the Syrian regime and the corruption networks that were run by those close to it.
The Syrian Assistant Minister of Agriculture for Livestock Affairs, Ayham Abdel Qader, says that during the past years there has been a depletion of the local herd of Awassi sheep as a result of the displacement carried out by the regime forces of rural communities, especially in the north and east of the country, as well as the clashes and battles that these forces and their affiliated militias fought with the Free Army. And also the international campaign to fight ISIS.
Abdul Qader added to Al Jazeera Net that the regime took advantage of the opportunity and brought in Iranian and Iraqi militias, such as Zainabiyoun, Fatemiyoun, and others, to support it militarily in the area between Sukhna and Palmyra, south of Deir ez-Zor, and the Badia region, where breeders were systematically killed, and as it is known that the Syrian desert is the primary home of sheep. Al-Awas and the pastures in it are the ones that housed their herds for many years.
The Assistant Minister pointed out that in the eastern rural areas of the Hama, Homs, and Idlib governorates, as well as the southern and eastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate, there was very intensive sheep farming, but as a result of the clashes and the spread of pro-regime militias, there was systematic killing of shepherds and sheep herds alike, and this killing was random and absurd. And even incomprehensible.
Significant decrease
The Assistant Minister pointed out that the work of shepherds usually depends on travel, but it is also important to be in safe areas, and during the bombing, breeders were forced to move their flocks quickly, and this forced a large number of them to sell sheep widely and suddenly and led to a decrease in the price and losses that they could not bear.
As a result of the regime’s ongoing campaigns on the region, as well as attempts to repel those campaigns by the Free Army, the areas where sheep farming is concentrated were greatly affected, in addition to the economic difficulties and the incompatibility of feed prices with the market price of milk and meat, which led to a significant decline in the profession.
Abdul Qader pointed out that in the latest estimated statistics on the number of herd heads in the northwest of the country (north of Aleppo and its western countryside, as well as Idlib and its countryside), the number of sheep reached between 200 and 300 thousand heads. If we take a measurement of the numbers in the 14 governorates included in Syria and the economic situation, it is expected that The number of the herd reaches only 3 million, after it was about 25 million in 2010.
Fake statistics
He noted that the statistics issued by the regime to enumerate livestock were higher than the real numbers because those statistics that were carried out by its mobile teams contained a lot of falsification, corruption, and inaccuracy for two reasons.
Regarding the first reason, Abdel Qader explained that the sheep breeder was receiving support for fuel and fodder from the state, so he supplies mobile teams in large numbers for his flock, contrary to reality, in order to obtain larger quantities of fuel and fodder at reduced prices and then sells them on the black market, and this is of course in cooperation with… Networks run by influential people affiliated with the regime to obtain significant economic benefits.
As a result, according to Abdel Qader, the breeder who owned only 100 animals would register that he had a thousand or more in order to obtain double quantities of subsidized fuel and fodder and benefit from the price differences when selling them on the black market.
The other reason, according to the official, is due to the inaccuracy of the numbers issued by the system, which is that the herd moves in rural areas between neighboring governorates such as Homs, Hama, Aleppo, and Idlib, as well as the eastern region. Mobile teams register the herd in Homs, for example, and then register it itself in Hama.
The Assistant Minister pointed out that the care of sheep in the areas that were under the control of the factions in northwestern Syria was much better than in the areas under the control of the regime.
