Damascus, Syria – Syria is facing a 70 per cent deficit in its wheat stocks, according to Hassan Al-Othman, Director-General of the Syrian Grain Organisation.
In a statement to +963 on Monday, Al-Othman said the country requires approximately 2.5 million tonnes of wheat to meet domestic consumption needs.
He explained that the Syrian Grain Organisation has so far received around 375,000 tonnes of wheat from local farmers, with the remaining quantities secured through imports.
Al-Othman said the wheat shortfall is being covered through external procurement contracts, noting that several import agreements have been signed in recent months for a total of 1.375 million tonnes of wheat.
He added that the role of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Syria remains limited, with support provided to four governorates through the distribution of 20,000 tonnes of flour. According to Al-Othman, the programme is scheduled to run for approximately six to eight weeks.
On 9 November, three cargo vessels carrying more than 70,000 tonnes of Ukrainian and Russian wheat arrived at the port of Tartous on Syria’s western coast.
The state news agency SANA reported that the shipments were unloaded on behalf of the General Organisation for Grain Trade and Processing as part of ongoing efforts to bolster the country’s strategic wheat reserves.
Youssef Arnous, Head of Operations at Tartous Port, said one of the vessels had arrived from Russia, while the other two had sailed from Ukraine. He confirmed that part of the cargo was stored in silos at the port, with the remainder transported by lorry and rail to supply the domestic market and support food security.
In mid-August, Reuters reported that Syria was facing an unprecedented food crisis after the worst drought in 36 years led to a 40 per cent decline in wheat production.
The UN World Food Programme has previously warned that around three million Syrians are at risk of acute hunger, while more than half of the population is experiencing food insecurity, according to figures cited by Reuters.
The agency also quoted Syrian farmers who reported a sharp drop in wheat yields this season compared with previous years, attributing the decline to prolonged drought conditions.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), only 40 per cent of Syria’s agricultural land was planted this season, with large areas damaged by drought, particularly in key food-producing governorates such as Al-Hasakah, Aleppo and Homs.
