Syria’s Hasakah wheat collection nears 1 million tons – Official
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Wheat collection centers in Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, are close to receiving one million tons of wheat from this year’s harvest, Abdul Wahab al-Safar, head of the country’s Central Wheat Marketing Committee, told North Press on Thursday.
Al-Safar described the figure as “an achievement not seen since 2001,” despite what he said were limited operational resources.
“We have achieved this with half the available capacity,” al-Safar said, noting that only 21 wheat collection centers are currently operating in Hasakah, while the remaining centers remain out of service.
He added that the Qamishli Grain Center is one of the most important grain branches in Syria and that officials had toured all collection centers across Hasakah to monitor the progress of the procurement campaign.
Regarding payments to farmers, al-Safar said the first batch of payment invoices would be transferred to the Agricultural Cooperative Bank on Thursday.
He indicated that auditors and accountants had been instructed to collect invoices from the reception centers as quickly as possible to accelerate payment procedures.
Al-Safar pointed out that farmers’ administrative transactions are expected to progress significantly over the coming days, with payments to be processed in three installments through the Agricultural Cooperative Bank.
“The Syrian government wants to give Hasakah Governorate its full attention regarding the rehabilitation of inactive collection centers, restoring technical expertise and improving the performance of administrative departments at the Qamishli branch,” he said.
Hasakah remains Syria’s largest wheat-producing governorate and plays a central role in the country’s food security. The governorate has recorded a strong harvest this season following favorable rainfall and expanded cultivation, prompting authorities to increase procurement efforts despite ongoing logistical and infrastructure challenges.
The government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have each launched separate wheat purchasing campaigns this year, offering farmers different procurement prices in an effort to secure strategic grain supplies.