On Syria’s Mediterreanean coast, tomato cultivation is declining. This is due to the high costs involved compared to other crops, such as bananas. The coastal province of Tartus, specifically the city of Banias, is known as one of the most important tomato production areas.
The moderate weather there supports the spread of greenhouses. However, recently, the majority of tomato farmers have been shifting to cultivating bananas, as it is much more economically viable compared to tomatoes, posing a threat to the future of tomato farming.
Experts predict that tomato production in Banias will sharply decline within five years in favor of bananas. An anonymous agricultural engineer stated that in the town of al-Kharab, which was the first in Tartus province to grow tomatoes in greenhouses, tomato cultivation has declined by more than 65%.
He explained that farmers have replaced tomatoes with bananas, as they are much more productive without significant costs. Bananas do not require 10% of the production costs needed for tomatoes; in addition to the fact that the tree yields fruit in less than two years after planting.
Many farmers in the Syrian coastal region, especially in the town of al-Kharab, have refrained from tomato cultivation and switched to cultivating bananas, which do not require any production costs, only water, and the price per kilogram of bananas averaging no less than 15,000 pounds, making it a profitable choice.
Source: english.enabbaladi.net