We may need to import wheat for sowing, flour: Syria’s AANES
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The administration is ready to import wheat to meet the needs of the region in case the local production is not enough, said Salman Barudo, co-chair of the Economy and Agriculture Board of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), on Thursday.
“We attach importance to securing sufficient quantities of wheat for sowing and flour,” Barudo added.
He pointed out that the Receiving Committees are lenient with the marketed types of wheat in terms of quality and the percentage of impurities.
The permissible percentage of impurities in this year reaches 23%, while it was less than 15% in previous years, according to the Economy and Agriculture Board.
In a previous statement to North Press, Barudo expected that the production of wheat would not exceed 400,000 tons, which is about two-thirds of the needs of northeast Syria, that range between 500,000 and 600,000 tons annually.
The farmers of several regions of northeast Syria started to deliver their production to 26 centers equipped to receive wheat directly from the farmers.
In mid-May, the AANES set the purchase price of wheat at 1,150 SYP, while the purchase price of barley was 850 SYP per kilogram.
Naming the price came, taking into account the general conditions of the current season, such as drought, lack of rain and the decrease in irrigated areas of wheat, according to statements by AANES officials.