- Title: Potential gain in grains for Syria wheat production
- Date: 21st June 2017
- Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JUNE 19, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS VIEWS OF WHEAT FIELD VARIOUS OF A FARMER HARVESTING WHEAT DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JUNE 20, 2017) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) BANNER VARIOUS OF ADAM VINAMAN YAO, FAO'S SYRIAN REPRESENTATIVE, IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADAM VINAMAN YAO, FAO'S SYRIAN REPRESENTATIVE, SAYING: ''Because of the rainfall conditions and all, maybe there will be a slight improvement. But the way we see it is that there is a lot of work to do because if we compare even with the year 2006 when the production was nearly 4 million, now there is a huge decrease of wheat production, if we compare now what we have 1.5 million compared to 4 million, there is a decrease of 60 percent 62 percent I guess. So even if there is an improvement, we are very far from record the production of before the crisis.'' VARIOUS OF YAO (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADAM VINAMAN YAO, FAO'S SYRIAN REPRESENTATIVE, SAYING: "The reality is that before the crisis Hoboob was able to distribute about 280,000 tonnes of wheat to farmers and then after the crisis, I mean due to the crisis the capacity of Hoboob to distribute wheat has dramatically decreased. And if we compare it to 280,000 tonnes before the crisis compared to what now it distributed is really a very small fraction compared to what they were able to deliver before." DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JUNE 19, 2017) (REUTERS) 8 .VARIOUS OF A FARMER HARVESTING WHEAT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMAD FAISAL OBEID, FARMER, SAYING: "The manure price is very expensive for farmers and there is a lack in fuel and it is also expensive, if we compare the expenses to the revenues we find out that it is not profitable." VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE WHEAT FIELD
- Embargoed: 5th July 2017 12:37
- Keywords: Syrian war wheat harvesting season Syrian conflcit
- Location: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- City: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016M7XXSL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Syrian farmers are expecting to reap more of what they've sewn this year as wheat production levels are expected to rise in comparison to last year's harvest.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) production is up due to better access to arable land and favourable weather conditions.
But there is still a huge gap between Syria's potential and current wheat production.
''Because of the rainfall conditions and all, maybe there will be a slight improvement. But the way we see it is that there is a lot of work to do because if we compare even with the year 2006 when the production was nearly 4 million, now there is a huge decrease of wheat production, if we compare now what we have 1.5 million compared to 4 million, there is a decrease of 60 percent 62 percent I guess. So even if there is an improvement, we are very far from record the production of before the crisis,'' said FAO representative Adam Vinaman Yao on Tuesday (June 20).
Only last week Syria received 225,000 tonnes of Russian wheat, part of a 1.2 million tonne wheat deal struck in February through its state grain buyer.
Syria's General Establishment for Cereal Processing and Trade (Hoboob) signed contracts with local traders for 1.2 million tonnes of Russian wheat in February in what was the country's second attempt at a huge grain deal since October.
Hoboob imports wheat for the country's bread programme. Flat bread is a subsidised staple for Syrians, who have suffered under a conflict estimated to have killed several hundred thousand people and forced millions to flee their homes.
"The reality is that before the crisis Hoboob was able to distribute about 280,000 tonnes of wheat to farmers and then after the crisis, I mean due to the crisis the capacity of Hoboob to distribute wheat has dramatically decreased. And if we compare it to 280,000 tonnes before the crisis compared to what now is distributed it is really a very small fraction compared to what they were able to deliver before,'' said Yao.
Syria was once self-sufficient in wheat production but continued fighting in the main grain-producing areas in its northeastern regions and poor rainfall halved the nation's harvest last year to 1.3 million tonnes, the lowest in 27 years.
With wheat harvesting season underway farmers in Damascus say crippling prices of fuel as well as manure are hindering their efforts.
"The manure price is very expensive for farmers and there is a lack in fuel and it is also expensive, if we compare the expenses to the revenues we find out that it is not profitable,'' said farmer Mohamad Faisal Obeid.
According to the U.N. Syria's six-year conflict has caused at least $16 billion in damage to agriculture amounting to about a third of the country's GDP.
Food production dropped to an all-time low last year, with many farmers forced to abandon their land.
Those toiling the land like Mohamed are in need of basic supplies like fertilizer, seeds and medicines for livestock in order to revamp production, but funds are scarce. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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