Investment Contract Signed
Syria's state trading corporation signed an investment contract with a Saudi company to operate the Jobar technical slaughterhouse in Damascus, the parties announced on 29 September 2026. The agreement hands commercial operation of the facility to a private investor for a fixed term.
The contract was signed for the Syrian side by the corporation's director general, Amer Qassoom, together with a representative of the Saudi firm.
Terms and Timeline
The deal runs for 15 years and carries an investment value of $3 million in US dollars (USD). The investor committed to completing the installation of equipment within eight months, setting a near-term path to bringing the upgraded site into service.
The value and duration frame a long-term operating commitment rather than a one-off supply of goods, tying the investor to the facility across the life of the contract.
Two-Track Operation
Under the arrangement, the Jobar site is to run as a commercial slaughterhouse alongside an existing service slaughterhouse at the same location. The dual setup keeps public service slaughtering in place while adding a commercially operated line.
Sector Oversight
The contract falls within efforts to develop and regulate the slaughterhouse sector. Consumer-protection and food-safety authorities reported that 75 slaughterhouses across the country met health-safety standards for slaughtering services.
A commercial operator is expected to bring investment and management to the site under that regulatory framework.
Damascus Food Supply
Slaughterhouses sit within the chain that supplies meat to markets in the capital, and shifting the Jobar facility to commercial operation is aimed at supporting that segment. The eight-month equipping period sets a timeline for the site to begin work after the upgrade.
Gulf Investment
The agreement brings a Gulf investor into the operation of a public service facility in the capital. Placing the Jobar site under a private commercial operator for 15 years is a concrete instance of Gulf capital entering a state-run facility in Damascus.