The Director General of the Syrian Grains Corporation, Hassan Al-Othman, confirmed that the Corporation is implementing a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate and modernize storage facilities in preparation for receiving the wheat crop for the 2026 season, in order to ensure the absorption of the expected quantities and improve the efficiency of storage and receiving operations.
Al-Othman explained in a statement to SANA on Saturday that the corporation has a storage infrastructure that includes 37 silos, 98 silos, 14 warehouses, and 27 open centers, and that some of these facilities are ready for investment, while the other part is undergoing rehabilitation works according to specific schedules and according to the available capabilities.
He pointed out that the Corporation has completed the logistics of the collection centers by providing electricity, installing monitoring systems, and applying electronic programs, such as pre-booking, electronic receipts and accounting systems, in addition to providing the centers with trained cadres to ensure the smooth flow of work.
Al-Othman stressed that these measures contribute to facilitating the marketing process for farmers, especially with the extension of the purchase period, which allows the receipt of the largest possible quantities of wheat, reduces wastage, reduces dependence on bags, as well as moves to increase the grinding of stocks and provide additional storage capacities.
Regarding the purchase price of wheat, Al-Othman pointed out that it has not yet been determined, explaining that it will be approved during the grain conference in coordination with the ministries of agriculture and finance and the concerned authorities.
Syria may not need imports
The Director General of the Grains Corporation had earlier pointed to optimistic initial estimates that Syria may not need to import wheat at least this year, in light of the current indicators of the agricultural season and the reality of the observed production so far.
Othman explained in a press statement that Syria's annual need for wheat is estimated at about 2 million and 550 thousand tons, while the quantities currently available, including marketed production and contracted quantities, reach about one million tons.
Market Mechanisms and Improvement Estimates
The director of the Grains Corporation indicated that the actual volume of receipt is related to the mechanisms of use within the local market, where part of the production is not marketed directly, but is used as a seed for the coming seasons, or allocated to the manufacture of bulgur, grinding and direct local consumption.
Othman said that preliminary estimates indicate that production can improve during the coming period to reach higher levels, with the continuation of harvesting and supply operations, as the quantities currently received are estimated at about 1.5 million tons according to the preliminary data, stressing that the general indicators for the season remain positive, and may contribute to enhancing reliance on local production and reducing the need for imports in the event of continued stability of production conditions.
Grain Platform
On April 8, the Syrian Grains Corporation launched an electronic platform to reserve and receive wheat as part of the preparations for the 2026 season, with the aim of organizing and simplifying the receipt and purchase processes.
The launch came during a presentation by the Directorate of Technology and Digital Transformation, noting that the Corporation continues to equip receiving centers in the governorates and secure storage requirements according to the approved standards, in preparation for a season that enhances strategic stockpiles and supports food security.
Earlier, Amthan revealed that the corporation is working to prepare a storage capacity of more than one million tons of wheat, with the beginning of the next procurement season in silos, silos, dens and warehouses, to ensure that the entire crop expected to be marketed during the current season is accommodated.
The cereal sector has been affected by a number of challenges
Over the past years, the grain sector in Syria has been affected by a number of challenges, most notably the decline in cultivated areas as a result of climatic conditions, especially droughts, in addition to the damage caused to agricultural infrastructure, storage and transportation facilities as a result of the war, as these factors have been reflected in production levels.
The government's agricultural policies currently focus on supporting production requirements, improving marketing mechanisms, and modernizing the storage system through the rehabilitation of silos and receiving centers, with the aim of reducing losses and ensuring the quality of the crop.