Sesame farmers in northern and eastern Syria harvest their crops by hand and in large quantities. Sesame cultivation in the northern and eastern region of Syria is one of the important intensive crops that farmers depend on as it represents their main source of income.Sesame is grown between June and July and requires two or three irrigations. The productivity of a dunam of sesame ranges from 50 to 100 kg, and a kilogram sells for one dollar or about 15,500 Syrian pounds, depending on the quality of the crop.Sesame is used in a number of food and pharmaceutical applications, the most important of which are sesame oil and halva, as well as its use in the production of sweets and thyme.Mujhem Al-Ashib, a farmer from the city of Hajin in Deir Ezzor province, said: “Sesame is an important crop for all farmers in Deir Ezzor province, and the harvesting process this season begins on September 15 and then continues according to the date of its planting.”Regarding the method of harvesting sesame, Al-Ashib said: “The process is done in the traditional way: we collect the sesame sticks, then tie them into bundles and stack them until they dry for 10 days. After that, there is a manual stage, which consists of three stages of extracting the sesame seeds.”He continued: “The first and second harvests are of high quality and sell at higher prices, while the third harvest is used as home storage and seeds for the next season.” Women play an important role in the sesame harvesting season as they are involved in plowing and watching over the crop until it is ripe. After harvesting, women perform the sifting and filtering process, allowing them to play an important role in the process.Regarding the difficulties faced by sesame farmers in Deir ez-Zor Canton, Mujhem Al-Ashib said, “Hand harvesting is tedious as there is no special harvester for this. In addition, we face high fuel and fertilizer prices, as well as water shortages. Despite these challenges, we continue to grow sesame because it is considered an important resource for the people of the region as a whole.”