Since the start of the conflict in 2011, Syria, which mainly imports its Russian wheat, has increased its imports to compensate for the decline of local production.
by Hélène Sallon (Beirut, correspondent)
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Syrian and Russian ships, under international sanctions, water Syria in wheat from Dule Port of Sébastopol, Crimea. At the end of November, supplies from this port, located on this Ukrainian territory annexed by Moscow in 2014, reached 500,000 tonnes for the year 2022, compared to 28,000 tonnes in 2021, according to data collected by the firm specializing in monitoring of Refinitiv financial markets. The Ukrainian authorities believe that this wheat comes, at least in part, from crops that have been stolen by Russia to Ukrainian farmers in regions it occupies.
“Twenty-three cereal trees have left Crimean ports to Syria since May, including three of 27,000 tonnes each last week. These ports are closed to international trade and these ships are illegal,” denounces a source within From the Ukraine Embassy to Lebanon. The latter accuses Moscow of providing the Syrian regime of stolen wheat in the agricultural regions of Zaporijia, Kherson and, before his release, of Kharkiv. In June, the governor appointed by Moscow in Zaporijia had recognized that Crimea ports were used to export cereals from the region, ensuring that farmers were paid.
trucks towards Crimea
The Crimean Authorities, for their part, indicated, in August, having collected 1.4 million tonnes of wheat. “Crimea cannot even produce enough wheat to cover its own needs. At the end of October, 1.7 million tonnes of wheat in total had been stolen from Ukraine,” continues the Ukrainian source.
These estimates are established by Ukrainian security services and justice from the flight reports of Ukrainian farmers and truck movements to Crimea. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov qualified, in May, these allegations of “fallacious”.
Although the international sanctions imposed on Russia do not target cereal trade, Moscow denounces obstacles for its exports to its traditional customers in Africa and the Middle East. The sending of wheat since Crimea to Syria is provided by Syrian ships, placed under American sanctions, as well as ships beating Russian pavilion belonging to a Russian state company under sanctions, according to the Reuters agency.
Since the start of the conflict in 2011, Syria has increased its imports of wheat to compensate for the decline of local production. This production has further drastically dropped over the past two years – at less than 75 % of its pre -war levels due to drought waves and the economic crisis. In September, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated production for the year 2022 to 1 million tonnes, including 520,000 tonnes in areas under the regime control. However, according to FAO, the demand in wheat in the regions controlled by Damascus amounts to 3 million tonnes per year.
You have 16.46% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.