The Syrian regime’s government has acknowledged its import of wheat from Ukrainian origins, following numerous previous accusations by Ukraine against Russia that it was stealing wheat and exporting it to Syria.

Previously, the Syrian regime confirmed that the wheat it imports is of Russian origin.

In a statement to the government Al-Thawra newspaper on Wednesday, October 2, the Director of Agriculture in Tartus, Ali Younis, said that the Plant Quarantine Center in the province rejected a shipment of soft wheat belonging to the Syrian Grain Corporation (Hoboob) from Ukrainian origin due to its failure to meet Syrian standards.

According to Younis, the rejected shipment amounted to 8,728 tons, and the reason for its rejection was its failure to meet the standard specifications and the presence of decay, for which necessary measures were taken to re-export it.

For years, the regime government has secured wheat from Russia through various methods, including bilateral agreements rarely disclosed, tenders issued by the Syrian General Establishment for Cereals Processing and Trade (Hoboob) to purchase wheat, or what Russia sends as quantities named “aid,” or Russia’s “theft” of Ukrainian wheat and sending part of it to Syria, as revealed by Ukrainian figures and news agencies, despite the regime’s denial.

According to a report prepared by Enab Baladi in June 2023, the decrease in government support during the stage of wheat cultivation and harvesting in areas under the regime’s control, in addition to setting a price that is inconsistent with costs, annually drives farmers to sell their crops outside controlled areas where the selling price is higher.

This creates a parallel market for the product, as well as some farmers refraining from planting wheat in upcoming seasons, shifting to other crops with better returns.

While the regime’s government does not pay attention to the strategic crop in terms of support during the stages of cultivation, harvesting, and then sale, it prioritizes importing the commodity from the Russian ally via several ways to compensate for the annual shortage.

In December 2022, Reuters stated that using a fleet of small vessels subject to US sanctions, the wheat sent to Syria increased 17-fold since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the data, the amount of shipped wheat at that time exceeded 500,000 tons, forming approximately one-third of Syria’s total grain imports.

Both Russia and Syria, under sanctions that complicate trade using prevailing maritime transportation and insurance, rely on special ships to transport grains, including three Syrian ships subject to US sanctions, according to the agency.