As the Eastern Ghouta region comes back under government control for the first time in six years, it will eventually take up its previous position of supplying the capital Damascus with its agricultural produce, which will reduce prices given the short transport routes.
With supplies from Eastern Ghouta greatly affected over the last six years, agricultural produce had to be transported from other regions of Syria including the coastal provinces. The longer distance travelled meant agricultural produce cost more when it reached Damascus.
With the eventual resupply of fruits and vegetables from Eastern Ghouta to Damascus, inflation should ease as prices start to drop given the shorter distances and thus lower costs associated with transporting the products.
It is not yet clear what the status of wood-based products will be as it is expected that trees throughout the Eastern Ghouta region were cut down for firewood as this was the case in the Zabadani Valley where hardly any trees are standing compared to their pre-war level.
Back in 2016, manufacturers of the famous backgammon tables in Damascus expressed to the Syrian Law Journal that they can resume work and produce more tables once wood starts flowing into the capital from Ghouta.
