Yemen.. Houthi militia levies exhaust garlic farmers

While Houthi leaders were gathering at Al-Saleh Mosque in the kidnapped Yemeni capital of Sanaa to participate in the funeral of the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, dozens of farmers were demonstrating outside this place in protest against the taxes imposed on them and the losses they incurred.

When the group's leaders left the mosque built by the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the outskirts of Al-Sab'een Square, the protesters shouted, demanding an end to the injustice and levies imposed on them.

Farmers complained of losses incurred due to the practices of the Agricultural Services Corporation, which imposed a 7 percent fee on locally produced garlic and 100 Yemeni riyals on every liter of milk (the dollar is equal to 535 riyals in areas controlled by the group).

According to the protesters, they do not receive any support from this institution, headed by Houthi leader Abdul Salam Al-Ezzi, to impose such taxes on them. Moreover, no one knows the legality of these taxes, where they go, or who controls their disbursement.

Farmers also complained that they were prevented from selling their products in the markets by informing security points to prevent the passage of any tanker carrying garlic products, and to take it and its cargo to the headquarters of the Houthi institution and detain it until that percentage is paid.

Those affected confirmed that garlic prices have fallen significantly as a result of allowing large quantities imported from abroad to enter, and the lack of a storage infrastructure so that the markets are not flooded with the product during the harvest period.

They explained that prices have dropped significantly from 1,200 riyals per kilogram (about two dollars) at the end of last year to 400 riyals currently. They confirmed that they went to the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Houthi government, which no one recognizes, but it was unable to do anything.

Import despite ban

The Houthi group had announced a ban on the import of garlic from abroad in order to encourage the expansion of its cultivation locally, and confiscated any quantity that reached the areas under its control. However, farmers and marketers recently complained about the increase in taxes imposed on them in favor of the Agricultural Services Corporation, which provides them with seeds and some fertilizers, considering that this is its responsibility since its establishment two decades ago, and the involvement of Houthi leaders in the introduction of large quantities of imported garlic, which affected prices.

Those affected wonder about the reasons behind these practices, and they said: “How can someone who claims to encourage local agricultural production do what the Agricultural Services Corporation does, while we deserve encouragement and facilitation of procedures, not extortion and complicating the sales process?”

The Ministry of Agriculture in the unrecognized coup government had concluded an agreement with a group of importing merchants to market local garlic and ensure its price stability, contrary to the farmers’ demand that the price per kilo not be less than two dollars.

It also committed to setting a fair price and purchasing the produced quantity from contracted farmers. The agreement also stipulated that any trader who does not abide by the agreement will be blacklisted and banned from importing garlic from abroad.

According to sources working in the agricultural sector, within a short period after this agreement, importers returned to setting many terms and demanding large guarantees from contracted farmers and associations, and accused the General Corporation for Agricultural Services of granting traders permits to import garlic from abroad when needed.

Garlic is one of the important agricultural crops in Yemen, as it is widely grown in cold regions. The country's average production is about 5,000 tons annually, after it was about 8,000 tons in 2007.

The Middle East