The Syrian Ministry of Agriculture, through the General Establishment for Seed Multiplication, aims to achieve grain self-sufficiency for the 2026-2027 season, producing 50,000 tons of wheat seed and 1,800 tons of barley seed. This production relies on 19 wheat varieties characterized by their resistance to various environmental stresses, ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production in the country.
Mohammed Yasser Abars, the Production Director at the General Establishment for Seed Multiplication, clarified that annual wheat seed requirements amount to 340,409 tons, while barley requirements reach 4,000 tons. Regarding agricultural production for the upcoming season, he noted that quantities of the wheat crop delivered to the General Establishment for Grains reached 2.7 million tons in the 2026-2027 season.
Abars pointed out that the General Organization for Scientific Agricultural Research, in cooperation with research centers such as ICARDA and ALEXAND, works on developing varieties suited to Syrian environmental conditions. These varieties are characterized by their disease resistance and ability to withstand thermal stresses, with the Establishment responsible for multiplying the varieties adopted by research bodies.
The approved varieties include 12 hard wheat varieties: Doma 1, Doma 3, Doma 5, Sham 5, Sham 7, Sham 9, Sham 11, Sham 13, Buhouth 7, Buhouth 9, Buhouth 13, and ALEXAND 65. The other seven varieties are soft wheat, including: Doma 2, Doma 4, Doma 6, Sham 4, Sham 10, Sham 12, and Buhouth 8.
In the context of developing production infrastructure, Abars clarified that there is continuous coordination with international organizations to restore and develop cleaning centers at the Establishment's branches in the governorates. This work aims to raise operational efficiency and increase production capacity to approximately 30 tons per hour, with some branches equipped with new sieves and warehouses maintained to improve processing operations.
Abars attributed the main challenges facing local seed production to the outdated nature of cleaning centers, with some taken out of service due to damage sustained during the years of the revolution. He indicated that work continues on maintaining, repairing, and developing these centers to raise their production capacity, thereby contributing to improving the quality of seeds available to farmers.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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