Administration of North and East Syria sets price of wheat for coming season

HASAKAH, Syria — The Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria announced the purchasing price of this year’s wheat crop will be 225 Syrian Pounds per 1 kg. The price of wheat is subject to slight change based on the grade of the wheat.

The decision followed a meeting held by the Co-Chairship of the Executive Council in DAA with the participation of the economic, agriculture, and financial directorates and representatives of farmers’ unions.

The last few years have seen reduced wheat harvests across Syria. According to the Food and Agricultural organization of the United Nations, 2018 saw Syria’s smallest wheat harvest in 30 years.

Although the harvest of 2019 was nearly double that of the previous year, the “breadbasket” of Syria in the northeast witnessed a series of intentionally set fires during the summer.

The October invasion of North Syria by Turkey has made a difficult situation worse. Grain stockpiles either destroyed or looted, some fields left fallow by a displaced population, while others closer to the frontline are too dangerous to cultivate.

Now, with Spring approaching, the imposed curfew meant to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 is set to hamper the planting season. To avoid a potential food crisis, the DAA has announced measures to facilitate agricultural activity during the curfew period. However, it is unclear how the imposition of social distancing measures and the restriction on the amount of laborers per truck will affect the 2020 harvest.