Syria achieves wheat self-sufficiency as harvest deliveries exceed 2.7 million tons
The improvement marks a sharp turnaround from the severe wheat crisis caused by drought in the previous agricultural season and could significantly reduce Syria‘s dependence on imports.
SYRIA – The Syrian Grain Establishment announced that it has received over 2.7 million tons of wheat from farmers during the current harvest season, officially surpassing the nation’s estimated annual domestic requirement of 2.55 million tons.
This milestone marks the first time Syria has achieved wheat self-sufficiency since before the civil war erupted in 2011, signaling a major turnaround for the country’s agricultural sector and national food security.
According to Ahmed Qadoun, Deputy Director-General of the Syrian Grain Establishment, the volume of grain collected reflects the country’s restored capacity to meet domestic demand without relying on foreign wheat imports this season.
Procurement operations remain open across Syrian provinces as farmers continue delivering marketable quantities to collection points.
To accommodate the substantial influx of grain and preserve crop quality, authorities have implemented a multi-level storage strategy.
The establishment is utilizing silos, grain bins, and climate-controlled enclosed warehouses equipped for long-term storage and regular fumigation, alongside technical procedures for temporary open-air storage.
The surge in wheat collection represents a key recovery milestone for Syria, which produced an average of 4.1 million tons annually before 2011, before conflict, infrastructure damage, and prolonged droughts severely crippled crop yields. In previous years, the country relied heavily on imports and grain shipments from international partners to offset severe domestic shortages.
The recovery has been driven largely by the return of agricultural land in the country’s northeast to productive use.
Wheat cultivation this year spanned around 1.4 million hectares, with Hasakah accounting for roughly 37% of total output, followed by Raqqa and Aleppo at 18% each, and Deir Ezzor at 11%.
Eastern Syria as a whole now accounts for more than 55% of the country’s total wheat cultivation, with the improvement attributed to good rainfall and the return of large areas to production.
The success of the 2026 harvest follows ongoing efforts to rehabilitate storage infrastructure and streamline financial disbursements to local farmers through the Agricultural Cooperative Bank.
To manage the large volume, the establishment is implementing a storage strategy that includes transferring grain to silos and storage units, where it undergoes regular fumigation to preserve quality over extended periods.
This builds on infrastructure upgrades including the reopening of the Adra silo near Damascus, the country’s largest, with a 200,000-ton capacity.
While state officials celebrate reaching self-sufficiency for the current season, economic analysts note that long-term food sovereignty will depend on continuous structural investments.
The establishment is continuing its wheat collection program while upgrading storage infrastructure through the rehabilitation of silos and collection centers, to support food security and maintain stable flour supplies for bakeries.
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