ALEPPO — A food market has been opened in the city of Sarmada, north of Idlib, under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The opening ceremony, which was held Dec. 12, was attended by officials from the HTS Syrian Salvation Government and the Ataa Humanitarian Relief Association, which implemented the project with funds from the Qatar Charity Foundation.

The market is expected to employ a number of unemployed people and provide consumer goods and vegetables of good quality and at cheap prices for city residents, whether from the region or displaced from other Syrian regions.

The market houses 50 shops selling vegetables and food supplies. A Sarmada-based official from the Ataa Humanitarian Relief Association told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The market aims to receive the agricultural products of Idlib’s farmers while getting rid of congestion and sales violations in the city center. The market also seeks to meet residents’ needs at reasonable prices, as it increases job opportunities and competition and reduces monopoly.”

The official also said that the market provided a financial grant to the 50 shopkeepers. He did not disclose the size of the grant. The market is another part of the association's effort to support farms, along with pesticides, fertilizers, diesel to fuel irrigation pumps, and training and education.