Dr. Fayez Mekdad, the Assistant Minister of Agriculture in Syria, disclosed in a statement to Athr that the proportion of the wheat crop’s total cultivated area for the 2022 season in Syria was roughly 1.2 million hectares, whereas the planned area was 1.5 million hectares.
According to Mekdad, approximately 550,000 hectares of irrigated wheat were cultivated, while roughly 640,000 hectares comprised the total cultivated area of the wheat crop. He further noted that the plan’s completion rate for the total cultivated area had reached 80%.
Mekdad stated that the total production of wheat for the 2022 season was 1.55 million tons. Out of this, the grain institution received around 520,000 tons, while the Seed Propagation Corporation received over 60,000 tons. Although the 2022 season’s production was lower than that of 2021, the percentage of delivered wheat to the relevant organizations was higher for the former.
He attributed the low production to various factors, including drought, climate change, a lack of agricultural inputs like fertilizers and fuel, and high prices for water. He further noted that the majority of agricultural areas were located “in areas east of the Euphrates outside the state’s control.”
The Assistant Minister also mentioned that the wheat season plan for 2023 has been formulated. The planned area for wheat cultivation is expected to be around 1.7 million hectares. Out of this, approximately 825,000 hectares will be irrigated wheat, and 875,000 hectares will be rainfed wheat.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
