Abdul Wahhab al-Safar, Director of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection in Latakia and Tartus provinces, announced on Wednesday, September 3, the arrival of two ships loaded with wheat at the ports of Latakia and Tartus (western Syria).
Mazen Alloush, Director of Public Relations at the General Authority of Land and Sea Ports, told Enab Baladi that the ships carried Ukrainian wheat as part of a series of contracts signed by the Syrian Grain Establishment.
According to Alloush, Latakia port received 16,000 tons, while Tartus port received 21,500 tons.
He added that the main goal of these imports is to boost Syria’s strategic wheat reserves and ensure a continuous supply of flour to public and private bakeries across the provinces, helping stabilize bread production as one of the population’s most essential daily needs.
Alloush also revealed that additional contracts are in progress, with more shipments expected to arrive at Syrian ports in the coming period, as part of a broader plan to secure sufficient supplies to cover local demand year-round.
Drought and declining yields
Syria’s wheat production for the 2024–2025 season has plummeted due to multiple factors, primarily climate change, drought, and lack of rainfall, with output reaching only 25% of the annual average.
Agricultural experts described the year as a “year of drought,” with cultivated areas damaged by over 70%. Current production is estimated at 750,000 tons, compared to 2 million tons last year. Before 2011, yields ranged between 3 and 4 million tons annually, enough to cover domestic consumption with surplus exports, especially to Europe.
These figures highlight a sharp decline in wheat cultivation this year, raising serious warnings about food security and the need for urgent government action to prevent further agricultural collapse.
Rising costs and weak state support
The decline is also linked to the rising costs of agricultural inputs (fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, and fuel), unstable and low crop prices, and insufficient government support. Many farmers abandoned wheat cultivation in favor of less costly, more profitable crops such as cumin, anise, and black seed.
High irrigation costs further reduced productivity per dunum, pushing many farmers to sell their wheat before harvest as livestock fodder due to their inability to complete the farming process.
The Syrian government failed to finalize an international tender launched in April to import 100,000 tons of milling wheat, though 6,600 tons reportedly arrived from Russia at Tartus port that same month.
With sanctions now lifted, imports have become smoother and less costly, especially with the resumption of direct banking transfers. Previously, each $100 transfer carried an additional $2–$5 due to indirect routes.
In May, the Director of Agricultural Economy and Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture said Syria needs 4 million tons of wheat annually (based on a population estimate of 22.5 million in 2020), leaving an 80% shortfall in meeting demand.
Two Ukrainian wheat ships dock in Syria: Cargo details revealed Enab Baladi.
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