Syria contracted 600 thou. t of wheat to be supplied from russia
The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad concluded new agreements on wheat purchases from russia, Alaraby.co.uk reports.
Syrian Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Minister Amr Salem negotiated with representatives of russian state-owned companies the extension of previous contracts for the supply of wheat to Syria.
He added that the possibility of exporting surplus supplies of citrus fruits, olive oil and other agricultural products as payment for the grain supplied from russia is being considered.
"Syria reached agreements with russian companies to import 600,000 tons of wheat. This volume will be sufficient until the first half of 2023," the message reads.
The internal demand for wheat in Syria is 3.2 mln t of wheat, but the country's production this year reached only 1.7 mln t and did not meet expectations due to "exceptionally adverse weather conditions", according to the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Muhammad Hassan Katana.
The regime depends on moscow for wheat imports, thus the threat of severe famine in Syria has also increased after russia's invasion of Ukraine, disrupting grain supplies in February.
