Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade unveiled an agricultural plan to strengthen domestic production.

Once a cornerstone of the economy, Syria’s agriculture sector has suffered severe setbacks since 2011 due to war-related damage, infrastructure loss, and prolonged drought.

The ministry stated that the plan targets expanded cultivation, improved access to farming inputs, and direct financial support to producers. “We are reactivating the agricultural sector through incentives and logistical backing,” Hassan al-Ahmad, director of the ministry’s media office, told Shafaq News.

Al-Ahmad attributed the sector’s deterioration to previous policy decisions that reduced farmer support and overrelied external supply agreements.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), wheat output has declined from over four million tons pre-conflict to under one million tonnes in recent years, forcing Syria to import more than 90% of its wheat needs.

However, the former regime’s policies “dismantled local production and pushed the country into dependency,” al-Ahmad stated, adding that the goal of the new initiative is to “reduce foreign reliance and achieve sustainable food security.”