Syria's Wheat Crisis Threatens Food Security as Drought Devastates Crops

According to a new report by the Lebanese site Daraj, translated by the Syrian Observer, Syria is facing one of its worst agricultural crises in decades as a devastating drought grips nearly every central wheat-producing region across the country. The crisis threatens to undermine the food security of millions and deepen Syria's dependency on external assistance, transforming what was once a regional breadbasket into a nation struggling to secure its most basic food staple.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a dire warning that up to 75% of Syria's wheat crop may fail in 2025 due to record-low rainfall and deteriorating irrigation infrastructure. FAO representative Tony Eitel estimates a 2.7 million-ton wheat deficit, enough to feed over 16 million people for a year.

"This year's crop is like a hungry infant with a mother who has no milk," says Abdelkader al-Rashid, a farmer in southern Idlib, as he surveys his brittle, rain-starved wheat fields. "Our fields remained thirsty the entire season. We had no water, no rain, and no way to irrigate—especially after regime militias looted our well equipment."

The drought's impact has been particularly severe in traditionally fertile regions, such as the al-Ghab Plain. According to Abdelaziz al-Qasim, head of the General Commission for the Development of al-Ghab, the collapse of the Afamia dam has exacerbated water shortages in the region. Rising fuel prices and neglected irrigation canals have completed what he describes as a "disaster" for local agriculture.

In response to the crisis, the Syrian government has accepted emergency wheat shipments from Iraq, totaling 220,000 tons, as well as smaller donations from Qatar. These supplies have helped stabilize bread rations in some areas but fall far short of meeting national needs. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that this year's production will cover only 19% of the country's bread requirements.

The contrast with Syria's agricultural past is stark. In 2007, the country cultivated 1.7 million hectares of wheat, producing over 4 million tons and achieving self-sufficiency in wheat production. Today, Syria is mainly dependent on imports and foreign aid.

Faced with an unsustainable domestic crop, Syria's transitional government has announced a $420-per-ton purchase price for domestic wheat—described by farmers as "fair" but insufficient given the crisis scale. The government has also launched two international tenders, each for 100,000 tons of wheat, marking the first large-scale procurement moves by the new administration.

For farmers like Hazzaa al-Hawari, who returned to Saraqeb hoping to rebuild his damaged home with revenue from wheat cultivation, the crisis has personal dimensions. "With no rain and no irrigation, our dreams withered," he says. "I've already sold 20 dunums just to survive."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons