‘Syria’s Food Basket’ Struck by Dire Wheat Shortages

Wheat harvest in Syria’s Qamishli region in mid-July (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Wheat harvest in Syria’s Qamishli region in mid-July (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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‘Syria’s Food Basket’ Struck by Dire Wheat Shortages

Wheat harvest in Syria’s Qamishli region in mid-July (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Wheat harvest in Syria’s Qamishli region in mid-July (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, has acknowledged a wheat grain shortage that could affect next year’s production.

Wheat received from Rojava areas amounted to about 388,000 tons for flour, while the quantities of raw seeds amounted to about 75,000 tons, the head of the region’s Agriculture and Irrigation Authority, Muhammad Al-Dakhil, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“These numbers are alarming,” warned Al-Dakhil, adding that they portend ramifications for food security in an area that was once considered “Syria’s food basket.”

This year’s wheat harvest hardly meets the needs of Rojava residents.

“We need 600,000 tons annually of wheat material prepared for flour, and thus there is a deficit of approximately 200 thousand tons of wheat,” revealed Al-Dakhil.

According to Al-Dakhil, the Authority will distribute seeds produced in this year’s season after sifting as farmers require around 75,000 tons of seeds for the next agricultural season.

Rojava areas, which include seven major cities and towns in four of Syria’s northeastern governorates, consume about 600,000 tons of wheat annually to produce subsidized bread, in addition to 200,000 tons for sowing.

For the second year in a row, Rojava regions and the rest of Syria have been ailed by a wave of severe drought.

Al-Dakhil pointed out that climatic changes and droughts have “resulted in the death of plants, and a decrease in the quantities of irrigable water stored in dams, which caused a loss of arable areas in the summer season.”

Last year, the Authority was forced to purchase more than 100,000 tons of wheat to produce flour for bread.

This prompted the Economy and Planning Authority and the Mills Directorate to mix yellow corn at a rate of 20% with wheat flour.

Today, Syria’s wheat production amounts to a third of what it used to be in 2019, which was estimated at 2.2 million tons. Syria’s wheat production before 2010 was estimated at 4.1 million tons annually.



Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday Israel’s attempts to drag Lebanon once again into the endless “spiral of violence”, following Israeli claims that it had intercepted three missiles launched from south Lebanon.
A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said that Aoun called for "avoiding any repercussions and ensuring control over any violations that could endanger the nation during these sensitive times."
Aoun has directed the Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haikal, to “take all necessary field measures to ensure the safety of citizens and conduct investigations regarding the incident”, added the statement.
Also in a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war.
He reaffirmed that “only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace."
The Prime Minister also contacted Janine Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Lebanon, during which he urged the United Nations to "intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories”.
He emphasized that Israel’s “occupation violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements established by the previous government in November, to which Lebanon remains committed".

On Saturday, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.