Damascus seeks to boost wheat output with international backing

Shafaq News – Damascus

On Wednesday, Syria’s Agriculture Ministry revealed a strategy to expand wheat cultivation and secure food supplies by rallying backing from international partners, as the country faces a prolonged economic crisis.

Saeed Ibrahim, Director of Agricultural Planning and Statistics at the ministry, told Shafaq News that the government is mobilizing resources from “genuine partners,” particularly international organizations, to support farmers through targeted socio-economic programs designed to help the groups most affected by declining yields.

He stressed the need to provide essential inputs to ensure continuity in wheat production, warning against any disruption to the planting cycle.

Ibrahim described the agricultural sector as “severely affected” by the economic downturn and the lack of reliable data from the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports. Before 2011, Syria produced between three and four million tons of wheat annually, generating a surplus for export. Current output averages only 1.3 million tons, leaving exports virtually suspended.

The official outlined measures under discussion to revive the sector, including subsidies for inputs, improved irrigation networks, higher government purchase prices for wheat, support for small-scale farming projects, promotion of alternative crops, and the expansion of agricultural education and modern techniques.