Reuters: Severe drought triggers wheat crisis in Syria

Syria is facing the specter of a food crisis after the worst drought in 36 years reduced wheat production by about 40 percent, further straining a country already struggling with liquidity shortages, as the transitional government fails to secure large-scale purchases, according to a Reuters report.

The UN’s World Food Programme told Reuters that nearly three million Syrians may face acute hunger, without specifying a timeframe.

It added that more than half of the country’s 25.6 million people are already suffering from food insecurity.

In a June report, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that Syria faces a wheat deficit of about 2.73 million tons this year—enough to feed roughly 16 million people for one year.

Reuters spoke with a transitional government official, three traders, three aid workers, and two sector sources familiar with wheat procurement efforts. They said imports and financing must be increased to address the looming shortfall.

According to the official, the government purchased only 373,500 tons of wheat from local farmers this season—about half of last year’s volume.

The same source noted that Syria needs to import about 2.55 million tons this year.

However, the transitional government has yet to announce any major wheat import deals and has been relying instead on small shipments totaling around 200,000 tons through direct contracts with local importers, the sources said.

Tony Alattel, FAO’s representative in Syria, told Reuters: “Half the population risks suffering from the drought, especially when it comes to the availability of bread, which is the most essential food during the crisis.”

So far, Syria has received only limited emergency aid, including 220,000 tons of wheat from Iraq and 500 tons of flour from Ukraine.

FAO data shows that Syria consumes about four million tons of wheat annually, but production is expected to fall to around 1.2 million tons this year—a 40 percent decline from last year.

The FAO also reported that only 40 percent of farmland was cultivated this season, with much of it devastated by drought, particularly in major food-producing regions such as Hasakah, Aleppo, and Homs.

Two informed sources added that wheat imports are facing delays in payment due to financial difficulties, despite sanctions being eased.

While Western sanctions under Assad did not restrict food imports, banking restrictions and asset freezes have made it difficult for most trading companies to engage with Damascus.

a.k

ANHA