Sweida, Syria — August 2025

As Sweida enters another week under siege, the city’s food markets are facing acute shortages, with fruits and vegetables becoming increasingly scarce and costly. With regular supply routes blocked, only limited aid convoys have been allowed in, leaving residents dependent on whatever produce can be sourced locally.

Market owners report that vegetable trucks attempting to enter Sweida are being charged exorbitant fees — as high as $1,500 per shipment — a sum few traders can afford in the current economic climate. As a result, most of the produce sold in the city now comes from agricultural lands on the western region of the mountain.

Even with this limited supply, affordability remains a challenge. Prices have soared beyond the reach of many families, particularly as government salaries have gone unpaid and most businesses remain closed due to the siege. Despite this, local market owners say they are doing what they can to ease the strain.

“People don’t have money, but they still need to eat,” said one vendor in Sweida’s main market. “We are trying to lower prices as much as possible to support our people. Everyone is struggling together.”

The shortage of fruits and vegetables is just one aspect of a broader humanitarian crisis gripping Sweida. But in the face of severe restrictions, both farmers and market owners continue to search for ways to sustain the community, balancing between survival and solidarity.

For many residents, the strained yet determined efforts of local vendors have become another example of how Sweida’s people are supporting each other through one of the most difficult periods in recent memory.