The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) operating in Idlib, northern Hama countryside, and part of the western countryside of Aleppo set the wheat prices for the current agricultural season on Monday, May 27, which came lower than the last season.

According to Decision No. “159” issued by the Ministry of Economy in the Salvation Government, the price of the first-grade hard wheat for the 2024 season is set at $310 per metric ton by the General Establishment for Grain Trade and Processing.

The General Establishment for Grain Trade and Processing is also tasked with setting the executive instructions to implement the provisions of this decision, which was based on the minutes of the meeting held with the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, the General Union of Peasants, agricultural and commercial activities, and the General Establishment for Grain Trade and Processing to discuss the production costs of the wheat crop and the mechanism for receiving it for the current year.

In 2023, the estimated wheat production in the areas controlled by the Salvation Government reached about 99,000 tons.

The Salvation Government set the purchase price of wheat from farmers at $320 per ton ($0.32 per kilogram) in 2023, while it set it at $450 in 2022, causing farmers’ discontent and surprise, leading some to turn to other new crops hoping to achieve a profit margin, such as aromatic plants like cumin, saffron, and others.

What about other areas

The Syrian regime government set the purchase price of wheat from farmers for the 2023-2024 agricultural season at 5,500 Syrian pounds per kilogram ($0.36) on April 23.

This price represents a four-cent increase compared to the price it set for the previous wheat season, which was 2,800 pounds ($0.32), given that the exchange rate of the dollar against the Syrian pound was 8,600 pounds at that time.

The Agriculture and Irrigation Authority in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) also set, in a decision issued on May 26, a price of $0.31 per kilogram for wheat, subject to standard grading systems, after setting it at $0.43 last year.

According to the North Press agency, citing officials in the Autonomous Administration, AANES will buy the entire wheat and cotton crops from farmers this year.

The Syrian Interim Government (SIG) has not yet announced the wheat prices for this season, but it set them on June 13, 2023, for the last season, based on the price of $330 per metric ton for first-grade hard wheat, and $285 per metric ton for soft wheat.