Syria says wheat self-sufficient for first time since 2010

Syria says it will not need wheat imports this season after reaching self-sufficiency in wheat production for the first time since 2010.

Ahmed Qadoun, deputy general director of the Syrian Grain Establishment, told AFP on Thursday that there would be no need for wheat imports this season and that Syria was last self-sufficient before the civil war began in 2011.

State news agency SANA reported on Wednesday that the grain establishment had received 2.7 million tonnes of wheat from across Syria during this year's harvest, above the national annual requirement of 2.55 million tonnes.

Before the war, Syria produced an average of 4.1 million tonnes of wheat a year. The conflict and drought disrupted production, and former ruler Bashar al-Assad relied on imports, particularly from Russia.

The United Nations has said 2025 brought Syria's worst climate conditions in decades, affecting wheat-growing land. In June, the UN said more than 13 million Syrians, or over half the population, were facing acute food insecurity.

Syria's new authorities took power in 2024. The country said last year that it had received wheat shipments and donations from countries including Russia and Iraq.