The Centre for Economic Development in the area of Bulbul in Afrin Canton [Kantona Efrînê / Afrîn] has opened the first cooperative society for the exchange of gas bottles and sale of petrol in the village of Kotana, with the aim of creating a self-sufficient economy and to revive the spirit of cooperation.
The cooperative has the participation of 13 members from the surrounding villages.
The price for a share is 100,000 SYP [Syrian Pounds], and money for the project has been collected from 11 members. One member participated by donating 140 gas bottles, while another participated by supplying the shop.
A full gas bottle in the shop can be exchanged with an empty one for 4,850 SYP, and that’s cheaper than the price in other shops, which is usually 5,000 SYP. A litre of petrol is sold for 235 SYP, while the price in other shops is 250 SYP.
The shop is open every day from 9am to 6pm, and sometimes it closes late in the evening in order to satisfy the needs of the people.
Sadek Kola, a coordinator of The Centre for Economic Development in the Bulbula area, said, ”We started this project in order to help the people economically, lift their morale and raise the spirit of cooperation, and also to prevent the monopoly of prices in other shops.”
