DAMASCUS: Across the agricultural heartlands of Syria, the hum of reopening cotton ginneries is offering a glimmer of hope to a cornerstonnee industry shattered by years of war, economic strain and neglect. Yet, from parched depressions in the west to irrigated riverbeds along the Euphrates, farmers and officials warn that soaring production costs, severe water shortages and the absence of clear pricing threaten to unravel the fragile recovery before it takes root. On Sept. 30, the Mhardeh cotto
