Efforts in Syria to develop local seed production and improve its varieties continue, aiming to support agriculture, reduce production costs, and decrease reliance on imports. This is achieved by qualifying multiplication facilities and utilizing genetic resources and research expertise to provide varieties suitable for the Syrian environment.
Developing this sector is not limited to providing sufficient quantities of seeds, but also includes improving their quality and productivity, selecting varieties that withstand drought and diseases, and linking scientific research to farmers' needs and the conditions of different agricultural regions.
Seed quality.. What determines field productivity?
Agricultural engineer Ghassan Rustom believes that local seed production enhances agricultural security and limits imports, noting the existence of Syrian companies specialized in producing local vegetable seeds. He clarified that quality standards include genetic purity, stability and homogeneity of traits, physical purity and freedom from impurities, health safety, appropriate moisture for storage, and the ability to withstand environmental stresses.
He added that productivity does not depend on seeds alone, but requires the integration of soil, irrigation, fertilization, agricultural management, and pest control quality. He emphasized the importance of testing varieties under different climatic and field conditions, and comparing their productivity and water needs to determine the most suitable for each region.
ICARDA.. From 1,625 kilograms to hundreds of tons by 2027
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) represents one of the important research components in seed development. Its genetic resources and crop improvement programs contribute to developing varieties suitable for the Syrian environment and more capable of facing climate change. Despite the damage to the Center's gene bank facilities in the countryside of Aleppo in recent years, and the loss of equipment and the original stored collection, the organization has preserved its genetic resources through backups deposited in international banks.
As part of restoring the seed system, ICARDA, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and with support from the British government, is working to provide improved seeds and link farmers to the approved multiplication system. According to ICARDA, the initiative included providing 1,625 kilograms of primary seeds for cereals and legumes, and establishing seven seed multiplication fields at research stations belonging to the Center, the General Organization for Scientific Research, and the General Organization for Seed Multiplication.
Four associations were also established in Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, comprising 49 farmers working on approximately 200 hectares to produce certified wheat seeds from locally developed varieties, with a target of producing hundreds of tons by 2027.
Potatoes.. Four stages for local seed production
According to the General Organization for Seed Multiplication, the national project for potato seed production reached approximately 3,265 kilograms in greenhouses, 498 tons in net houses, and 1,268 tons in open fields in 2025. Production goes through four stages, starting with disease-free laboratory seedlings, then the mother generation in greenhouses, super elite seeds in net houses, reaching elite seeds in open fields.
The organization uses 3,500 square meters of greenhouses and 893 net houses in Aleppo and Tartous. According to the organization, serological tests recorded a zero percent viral infection rate in tubers produced inside greenhouses. Local varieties include Afamia, Sidra, Athar, Qalamoun, and Lana, and are offered at subsidized prices to reduce costs and limit reliance on imported seeds.
66,000 tons in wheat and barley seed plan.. Where have multiplication efforts reached?
The General Organization for Seed Multiplication set a plan for the 2025-2026 agricultural season to distribute 60,000 tons of treated and sterilized wheat seeds and 6,000 tons of barley seeds. The organization relies on contracting with farmers, monitoring fields, and inspecting crops before approval. The Quality Control and Laboratories Directorate conducted tests on more than a thousand samples in 2026 to verify seed grade, stage, and compliance with technical specifications.
In Deir Ezzor, the organization's branch resumed sieving and sterilizing seeds in September 2026 after a 14-year pause, following the provision of new sieves. The production plan for next year targets producing 8,000 tons of seeds to meet farmers' needs. The branch possesses varieties of durum wheat, including Bahouth 9 and Sham 7, and soft wheat, including Sham 4 and Sham 10.
In Homs, the branch began preparing approximately 1,100 tons of sterilized and sieved wheat seeds for the 2026-2027 agricultural season, as part of a plan targeting reaching approximately 3,500 tons by the end of the preparation season, in addition to more than 200 tons of barley seeds for the following season, after receiving the crop from 220 contracted farmers.
Improved varieties.. Higher productivity and less seed
Development expert Akram Afif emphasized the necessity of developing improved local varieties that combine good productivity with adaptation to the local environment and disease resistance. He noted that the productivity of some old local varieties ranged between 200 and 350 kilograms per dunum, while other varieties face problems related to diseases and high prices. He observed the rise in imported seed costs, stating that prices for some vegetable seeds exceeded record levels, and that some seeds yield only one production cycle.
Afif cited wheat varieties whose productivity ranged between 300 and 400 kilograms per dunum, compared to improved ICARDA varieties planted in Syria, which reached a productivity of between one ton and 200 kilograms per dunum, according to the figures he cited. These require about 15 kilograms of seeds per dunum, compared to about 25 to 30 kilograms or more for some other varieties. He called for utilizing scientific expertise and research centers to develop local varieties and expand their production, and establishing a database linking research centers, universities, and agriculture colleges to determine suitable varieties for each region and their planting dates, while enhancing cooperation with ICARDA and FAO.
He believed that utilizing farmers' seed multiplication fields could cover needs within one agricultural cycle or two seasons, provided ready seeds and necessary capacities are available.
Financing and multiplication determine the path to local self-sufficiency
Rustom emphasizes that Syria possesses accumulated expertise in improving wheat and barley seeds and scientific cadres in agricultural research centers, but production development requires financing, qualifying centers and laboratories, and securing machinery, sieves, drying, storage, harvesting equipment, and technical staff. He stressed the importance of preserving different generations of seeds, including F1, F2, and F3, according to the crop nature and improvement program, and selecting varieties most tolerant of drought and excess moisture.
He called for a national plan that specifies the needs of governorates, crops, quantities, and required areas for production, prioritizing wheat, barley, and legumes, securing base seeds, expanding multiplication stations, and involving farmers in production and purchasing their crops according to clear mechanisms. Rustom estimated that achieving local self-sufficiency may take between three and five years, and up to ten years in some cases, depending on the crop, variety, and available capacities, noting that financing and cooperation with farmers may reduce the period for some crops to about three years.
For his part, agricultural economics expert Dr. Mustafa Haj Hamidi clarified that local seed production contributes to lowering production costs, preserving foreign currency, and improving the agricultural trade balance, in addition to providing jobs and increasing rural household incomes. According to experts, developing the sector requires integrating scientific research, production, and marketing, qualifying laboratories and storage facilities, activating agricultural extension, and ensuring improved varieties reach farmers in different regions.
Reducing imports does not mean eliminating them entirely, but achieving a balance between developing national production and benefiting from external expertise, which helps meet the needs of Syrian agriculture and enhance its stability and food security in the long term.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)