Cotton

Although its capabilities and attacks have steadily declined since 2019, ISIS is using areas in northeast Syria to extort locals to offset their dwindling cash reserves.

The Ministry of Finance's decision to withhold a SYP 562 billion loan to the General Establishment for Cotton Ginning and Marketing has led to acute delays in payments for cotton farmers.

Some three-quarters of the revenues generated by the AANES come from crude oil production, a dependency seen as a weakness by officials from the administration.

President Bashar Al-Assad’s handshake with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 22 marks a significant step in Syria’s reintegration into the global diplomatic sphere. Despite much fanfare, however, it is unlikely that promises by China's foreign minister Wang Yi’s “to take ties to a new level” will materialise into investments in Syria’s cash-strapped economy, given the recent decrease in China’s footprint in the country and Syria’s distressed business environment.

Amid rising food insecurity levels and wheat shortages, the Syrian government has recently contracted with Russian suppliers for the import of 1.4 million tonnes of soft wheat, which is used to produce bread. The wheat harvest across the country has improved this year but still falls short of the local demand.

The United Nations Industrial Organisation has launched a new project for the first time since 2011.