Two deals to import wheat from Russia are inoperative: Syrian government source
DAMASCUS/QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Two deals to import a million tons of wheat from Russia are still inoperative as world prices soar and domestic importers reneged to import 500,000 tons of wheat, Abdulhadi Tayyib, ex-member of the Syrian government Agriculture Planning Committee said.
Syria has been suffering a decline of wheat production due to increase of costs like fuels, fertilizers and wages besides the lack of rain among other reasons.
Before 2011, Syria used to produce 3.5 or 4 million tons of wheat.
Some media outlets cited Tayyib as saying “Syria will encounter a famine in case the import of wheat delayed more than that. The grain warehouses held by the Syrian government are almost empty.”
The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, the Minister of Interior Trade and Consumer Protection and Director of the Grain Institution are telling the people that the Syrian government has a strategic stock which is enough for next six months, but that all is untrue, according to Tayyib.
“The Syrian government is likely to compel the domestic importers to import the wheat and hold new negotiations with Russia to raise the prices so that Russia agrees,” he added.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) said global food prices have hit the highest level in over a decade. Accordingly, this pushed to changes of items in former contracts struck between the Syrian government and Russia.
The Syrian-Russian wheat deals were only theoretical; no upfront money were paid and no guarantees were provided for domestic importers. The prices hiked once again by more than 10% after it had raised by 30% in mid-2021, according to Tayyib.
Earlier, director of the Grain Institution Abdullatif Amin, revealed that the Syrian government had struck two deals to import wheat; one with Russia to import 500,000 tons and the other deal is with Russia but through domestic importers to import 500,000 tons. The total cost is nearly $319 million.
The Middle East Monitor cited the Interfax news agency as saying “Russia supplied 10,000 tons of wheat to Syria as humanitarian aid since the start of 2020 and, it plans to ship more.”
“At least 12.4 million Syrians, out of an estimated population of around 16 million, were food insecure, according to the World Food Program (WFP).