Russia plans to supply up to 1mn tonnes of wheat to Syria in 2021
- The already delivered wheat was supplied as part of contracts, Russian ambassador to Syria, Alexander Efimov, was quoted as saying. He did not provide further details.
- Russia, one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, has supported Syrian President Bashar al Assad but its publicly available customs data does not show significant supplies of wheat to Syria.
MOSCOW: Russia plans to supply Syria with up to 1 million tonnes of wheat in 2021, of which 350,000 tonnes have already been delivered this spring, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing the Russian embassy to Syria as saying.
Syria's economy has been strained by a complex, multi-sided 10-year conflict, as well as a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon. Fewer dollars for wheat imports has translated across Syria into long waiting lines for subsidised bread.
The already delivered wheat was supplied as part of contracts, Russian ambassador to Syria, Alexander Efimov, was quoted as saying. He did not provide further details.
Russia, one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, has supported Syrian President Bashar al Assad but its publicly available customs data does not show significant supplies of wheat to Syria.
Syria produced between 2.1 million and 2.4 million tonnes of wheat in 2020, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates. Demand across the country is about 4 million tonnes, leaving a shortfall to fill through imports.