For the first time in 16 years.. A Syrian economic achievement in record time - Sarmad

For the first time in nearly 16 years, Syria has officially achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production, a government official announced on Thursday, marking a rapid economic achievement after years of war.

A government official stated on Thursday that Syria had achieved self-sufficiency in wheat production this year for the first time since 2010, prior to the outbreak of the conflict in 2011 that severely damaged the agricultural sector and forced the country to rely on imports for years.

Ahmed Qadoun, deputy director general of the Syrian General Company for Cereals, told the Agence France-Presse that “there will be no need for imports this season.”

On Wednesday, the company announced that it had received 2.7 million tons of wheat from farmers for the current season, surpassing the estimated annual requirement of 2.55 million tons, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Before the conflict erupted, Syria achieved self-sufficiency by producing 4.1 million tons annually. However, production declined due to the expansion of fighting, the involvement of multiple warring parties, and drought waves, forcing the former regime to import wheat, particularly from Russia. It was also competing with the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration to purchase crops from the northeastern regions.

In recent years, Syria has experienced repeated drought waves, the most severe of which occurred in 2025, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which adversely affected production.

In January, the transitional authorities—who had relied on imports and aid shipments the previous year—reached an agreement with the Kurdish leadership in the northeast of the country, stipulating the gradual integration of institutions in that area into the state.

Nevertheless, the FAO warned in June that more than 13 million Syrians, or over half the population, face “severe food insecurity.”