DAMASCUS: Syria is planning to import around 1.5 million tonnes of mostly Russian wheat this year, as local wheat procurement is expected at around half a million tonnes, the country’s internal trade minister said.
Imports will mostly be Russian but Syria is also looking to buy Romanian and Bulgarian wheat, Abdullah al Gharbi said.
“We are still in the beginning of the season of local purchasing, around 20 days or so have passed from the start of it, but we see our local purchases at between 500,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes this year,” Gharbi said.
Gharbi also said the country had strategic wheat reserves of more than eight months.
“This is an achievement, look at neighbouring Egypt for example, they only have three months and Algeria have four,” he said.
Syria, which was once self-sufficient in wheat under a state-promoted policy, has had drastically lower production since the start of its multi-sided conflict.
It used to produce 4 million tonnes of wheat in a good year and was able to export 1.5 million tonnes. The decline in output has put Bashar al Assad’s government under increasing pressure to import the grain.
Flat bread is a subsidised staple for Syrians, who have suffered under the conflict.
“We will not raise bread prices at all, not for the foreseeable future,” Gharbi said.
“This is a burden on the government of course especially with the higher wheat prices we pay farmers but we will continue to subsidise them,” he said.
Syria is paying its farmers 175,000 Syrian pounds ($400) per tonne and additional 30,000 pounds in transportation subsidies.
“Our prices are more than excellent, it is around $225 per tonne in Turkey, ours is almost $500,” he said.
The import gap will be fulfilled through international purchasing tenders announced by the state grain buyer. — Reuters
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