Syria reports bumper wheat harvest that could see imports slashed

The country has suffered from years of food insecurity amid 12 years of war

Farmers spread wheat kernels unloaded from a combine harvester in the countryside south of Syria's capital Damascus. AFP

Syria has reported a bumper wheat harvest that could result in a dramatic cut in the need for imports, the Minister of Agriculture said on Monday.

Mohammad Qatna said that the country might be able to cut wheat imports by as much as 50 per cent, which could vastly improve food security.

Mr Qatna said this was “very good news” but declined to tell Reuters exactly how much wheat was expected to be harvested.

Before the civil war in 2011, Syria could produce about 4 million tonnes of wheat a year.

Agriculture in Syria has suffered from the decade-long conflict that has displaced millions of Syrians and led to at least 300,000 deaths.

Years of under-investment in irrigation and punishing periods of drought have also devastated output.

But like neighbouring Iraq, the country has had a surge in winter wheat production after heavy snowmelt near the mountainous source of the Euphrates River in Turkey, and higher than normal rain in northern areas of the country.

"This year, the rainfall at the beginning of the season was a bit delayed, but all the planned areas were cultivated and the rainfall distribution was good," Mr Qatna told Reuters in Beirut.

He said many parts of the north of the country – which are under the control of Turkish-backed militias, and in Idlib where militants rule – were not contributing to national production figures.

Mr Qatna said the situation was similar in areas of the east under the control of Kurdish militias and US forces.

The global problem of food inflation after the invasion of Ukraine has caused misery for millions of Syrians, with long queues for bread a common sight in many cities that are still recovering from conflict.

Last year, Syria imported about 1.5 million tonnes of wheat, with Russia providing all but a fraction, according to Refinitiv data.

Ukraine accuses Russia of shipping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain from occupied Crimea to its long-term ally, Syria.

With reporting from agencies