Damascus, August 17 (QNA) - After years of declining domestic production in Syria and reliance on imports, the country is restoring self-sufficiency in one of its most important strategic crops this season, with wheat production exceeding domestic needs for the first time in years. This improvement comes after an excellent agricultural season, driven by increased local production, with quantities received exceeding annual domestic needs.

During the 2026 season, Syria achieved wheat self-sufficiency for the first time in years, with the quantities received from local production exceeding the country's annual needs, after years of declining crops and reliance on imports.

In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director General of the Syrian Grain Establishment Eng. Hassan Al Othman revealed that the quantities of wheat have reached about 2.72 million tons so far. He explained that the receiving operations are still continuing in some centers, but in limited quantities as the season approaches its end.

He added that the General Organization for Seed Multiplication, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, is also receiving wheat designated as seed of the next agricultural season, which means that the actual total production exceeds the quantities delivered to warehouses.

Eng. Al Othman explained that the current season is excellent compared to the 2024 and 2025 seasons, as the quantities received in 2024 amounted to no more than about 700,000 tons, while in the 2025 season they reached about 375,000 tons. He pointed out that the decline in production during the past years was linked to the dry climate and the policies pursued by the previous government, in addition to the Syrian Jazira region being outsdie of control of the central government.

He stressed that Syria’s annual need for wheat is about 2.55 million tons, while the quantities received this year exceeded this need, which made it possible to achieve self-sufficiency and form a strategic stock of wheat. He pointed out that Syria is capable of moving in the future from self-sufficiency to achieving a surplus in wheat production, noting that before 2010 the country produced between 3.5-4 million tons in good seasons, and was self-sufficient and even exported types of wheat to European countries that are used in food industries.

Eng. Al Othman told QNA that the possibility of restoring those production levels is linked to the return of stability to the country and the improvement of climatic conditions, stressing that production is expected to gradually increase during the coming years, which will enhance the strategic stock. He emphasized that the Establishment is currently working on rehabilitating its facilities and installations to allow for the storage of larger quantities of production.

He explained that support for farmers falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, but the Syrian Grain Establishment has taken a number of measures during the current season to facilitate delivery operations and encourage farmers, including equipping 84 receiving centers with the necessary technical and logistical resources, forming a specialized purchasing team in each center, in addition to field marketing teams to follow up on the progress of purchasing operations and ensure the integrity of the procedures.

The measures also included launching a digital platform for pre-booking appointments and adopting a flexible delivery mechanism that simplifies entry, weighing, sampling, analysis, and truck unloading procedures, in addition to providing farmers with incentive bonuses and exempting them from analysis fees. Farmers were also allowed to deliver their crops to centers in the governorates of Damascus and Homs, with the establishment covering the transportation costs, with the aim of relieving pressure on storage centers in areas with high production density, and encouraging farmers to continue production in parallel with the ministry's plans to support the agricultural sector.

Regarding exports, Head of the Local Production and Exports Support and Development Authority at the Ministry of Economy Professor Khaled Al Khader said that Syrian agricultural and food exports recorded gradual growth during 2026 compared to 2025, driven by the opening of new export outlets and the facilitation of land and sea freight.

Al Khader explained to QNA that the main exported products included citrus fruits and seasonal fruits such as apples and grapes, in addition to olives and olive oil, according to controls that ensure the sufficiency of the local market first, in addition to cumin, anise, and medicinal and aromatic plants, which are in strong demand in international markets because of their quality.

He pointed out that Syria has the potential to achieve an exportable surplus in a number of products in the coming years, most notably olive oil and its derivatives, with the expansion of quality improvement, packaging and labeling programs, in addition to fruits and citrus fruits with the development of sorting, packaging and cooling projects, in addition to medicinal and aromatic plants and spices, and processed food industries that rely on local agricultural inputs such as tomato paste and jams.

Al Khader stressed that the increase in local production contributed to an increase in supply in the markets, which led to the stabilization of prices for many agricultural and food products and a decrease in the prices of some of them seasonally, especially fresh vegetables and fruits during their production seasons, including tomatoes, potatoes, citrus fruits and various types of fruits.

Regarding the balance between producers and consumers, Al Khader explained that the Ministry of Economy, in coordination with the relevant authorities, adopts a mechanism aimed at balancing the interests of producers and consumers, which includes the application of the agricultural export and import calendar and restricting imports of agricultural goods during their local production seasons to protect farmers, and suspending exports of any commodity when domestic supplies fall short of local demand.

The measures also include imposing protective tariffs on imported products for which there is a locally produced alternative that meets the required specifications, in addition to adopting indicative prices and monitoring markets to reduce monopolies, and ensuring the availability of basic commodities at reasonable prices while allowing direct sales through government institutions and outlets.

Al Khader pointed out that the government strategy is aimed at transforming the agricultural sector from primary production to industrial production with high added value by encouraging investment in agricultural manufacturing, providing incentives and facilitating the establishment of modern food-processing plants and olive presses, in addition to developing the storage infrastructure and cold chains, to reduce post-harvest losses and maintain the quality of products prepared for export.

The plan also includes supporting local producers to obtain quality certificates and international standards, which will facilitate the entry of Syrian products into foreign markets and enhance the ability of the agricultural and food sector to increase production and exports. (QNA)