Over Half Of Halted Food Businesses In Damascus Province Resume Work - Official

Eighty percent of the food-producing businesses that had stopped work in the armed conflict in the province of Damascus have now resumed work, an administration official told reporters.

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2018) Eighty percent of the food-producing businesses that had stopped work in the armed conflict in the province of Damascus have now resumed work, an administration official told reporters.

"During the war, the food business in Damascus was in decline. Sixty percent of the factories stopped work or were even fully destroyed. Now, our businesses are experiencing a rebirth, 80 percent of the ones that had been stopped have started work again," Talal Kaliazhi said.

The official added that the companies could resume work because the territory had been cleared from terrorists and added that the business would be reinvigorated faster if Western countries lifted sanctions off Syria.

"We have certain issues because of the Western sanctions: the equipment bought abroad at some point in the past is impossible to repair. At the same time, we have gradually stopped buying imported products," Kaliazhi said.

Some businesses moved to Damascus from other provinces a coffee-roasting factory moved to Damascus from the province of Daraa.

Milad Adro, the factory's engineer, said there were no plans for the business to go back. The factory produces four tonnes of coffee every day and may further grow capacities.

The hostilities in the suburbs of Damascus took place from 2012 to May 2018, when the government forces, backed by the Russian Aerospace Forces, were able to fully liberate the territory.