Ahmad Qadoun, deputy director general of the Syrian Grain Establishment, announced that the total amount of wheat received from the current season across Syria’s governorates had reached 2.7 million tons.

Speaking to the official Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, on Wednesday, August 5, Qadoun said the amount received had exceeded Syria’s annual requirement of 2.55 million tons.

Wheat collection will continue as long as commercially viable quantities are delivered to the centers, according to Qadoun. He said no advance deadline had been set for closing the centers while deliveries continued.

Qadoun added that most collection centers had effectively stopped operating after farmers within their respective areas ran out of marketable quantities.

Establishment’s Strategy for Preserving Received Wheat

Qadoun said the establishment is following a multilevel strategy to manage the pressure caused by the large quantities and ensure their safety. Wheat is directed to silos and smaller storage facilities, where it is preserved and periodically fumigated to keep it usable for several years without spoilage. Surplus quantities are also stored in enclosed, prepared, and sanitized warehouses originally equipped for wheat storage.

He added that the establishment also uses outdoor storage for short, carefully planned periods. At the same time, storage capacity in silos is freed through milling operations that produce the flour required by bakeries.

Qadoun said this type of storage follows strict technical procedures, including insulating the ground, using specialized tarpaulins, and carrying out the necessary fumigation.

Silo Expansion Across the Governorates

Qadoun said the Syrian Grain Establishment is continuing work to rehabilitate and expand silos and smaller storage facilities across the governorates alongside its collection and milling operations. The work aims to increase storage capacity and accommodate the quantities expected from farmers in the coming years.

Regarding payments owed to farmers, Qadoun said the mechanism for paying for wheat passes through designated official channels. He explained that the establishment’s role ends once it transfers invoices and data for the quantities received to the agricultural banks, which are responsible for paying farmers for their wheat.

He said the establishment had transferred all invoices for the quantities received so far, and payments were being made according to the approved sequence.

Abundant Season

On July 29, the Syrian Grain Establishment announced that the total amount of wheat received from the current season across the governorates had exceeded 2.5 million tons.

Indicators from the current season show a marked improvement compared with last year, supported by good rainfall and the return of large areas to production, particularly in eastern Syria, which accounts for more than 55% of the country’s total wheat cultivation.

According to government estimates previously obtained by Enab Baladi, expected wheat production ranged between 2.3 million and 2.5 million tons, compared with a target of 2.8 million tons. Average yields were estimated at 3.5 tons per hectare for irrigated wheat and 1.75 tons per hectare for rainfed wheat, strengthening prospects for better results if favorable weather conditions continued.

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