Syrian poultry industry rings alarm over mounting losses

The Syrian poultry industry has found itself on the verge of collapse after, in September 2025, the new government walked away from the import-substitution campaign and withdrew the ban on frozen chicken imports imposed earlier this year.

According to Nizar Saad El-Din, head of the Central Poultry Committee at the Federation of Chambers of Agriculture, Syrian farms saw a 300% surge in operational costs this year. This was driven by a mix of factors, including hikes in energy and feed prices. As a result, poultry produced on Syrian farms remains uncompetitive with imports.

The recent calculation shows that the cost of producing 1,000 chickens with an average weight of 2.5 tonnes is about US$4,275, equivalent to US$1.71 per kg, Saad El-Din noted.

Addressing fears over rising food prices, the Syrian government, on 23 September, permitted meat processors to import poultry. Local sources believe that the decision was lobbied by a group of meat processors, Syrian Days, a local newspaper reported.

Around 15,000 poultry farmers face the risk of bankruptcy due to market flooding with imports, the publication warned. Syrian Days quoted several poultry farmers, who wished to remain anonymous, criticising what they described as the erratic economic policies of the new Syrian government.

Technically, poultry imports are allowed only for a few industrial companies, and raw frozen poultry should not hit grocery shelves in the country. However, the lack of control resulted in those large quantities of imported chicken leaking to the market, triggering a collapse of prices.

However, independent observers argue that the government’s policy was the right step to curb the rise in food prices.

In addition, a former advisor to the Minister of Economy and Industry, Mazen Deirwan, told Syrian Days that meat processing factories did not import whole frozen chickens, but rather pieces intended solely for industrial use. He assumed that the non-Syrian chickens available in the markets are mostly smuggled into the country.

The Syrian government faces a difficult choice: either protect consumers or defend the reeling poultry industry.

Deirwan advocated for market liberalisation and the complete lifting of import restrictions, arguing that protecting local production through various prohibitions has proven unsuccessful and that the solution lies in addressing the causes of high local costs, not in imposing restrictions on the market.

Tags: prices, Poultry, Production, Syria, imports, chickens, frozen chicken