São Paulo – This year, Syria should plant 1.6 million hectares of wheat, according to figures disclosed by the Syrian Arab News Agency and supplied by the Department of Vegetable Production at the Ministry of Agriculture of the country. Of the total, 752,000 hectares are irrigated wheat.
The cultivation of wheat in Syria was moving at full throttle in January and towards the end of the month, 1.48 million hectares had already been sowed, according to the Department of Vegetable Production. Wheat cultivated without irrigation totalled 859,000 hectares. The performance of the crop this year should depend on rains in May.
Last year, production of wheat dropped due to the climate, drought and pests, like yellow rust. Figures supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture of Syria point towards a 17% lower crop last year, with 3.08 million tonnes picked.
Expectations were to pick 4.5 million tonnes. Despite not having such significant production, Syria exports wheat. The need for imports only takes place when the crop is between 2 million and 2.5 million tonnes. Then the country buys from Russia.
The country plans to invest in agriculture, which includes the offer of government funds to producers interested in changing from the traditional cultivation method to the use of irrigation. Agriculture, according to Sana, answers to 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and to 30% of work force.
*Translated by Mark Ament
