Syria has reported a bumper wheat harvest that could result in a dramatic cut in the need for imports, the Minister of Agriculture said on Monday.
Mohammad Qatna said that the country might be able to cut wheat imports by as much as 50 per cent, which could vastly improve food security.
Mr Qatna said this was “very good news” but declined to tell Reuters exactly how much wheat was expected to be harvested.
Before the civil war in 2011, Syria could produce about 4 million tonnes of wheat a year.
Agriculture in Syria has suffered from the decade-long conflict that has displaced millions of Syrians and led to at least 300,000 deaths.
Years of under-investment in irrigation and punishing periods of drought have also devastated output.
But like neighbouring Iraq, the country has had a surge in winter wheat production after heavy snowmelt near the mountainous source of the Euphrates River in Turkey, and higher than normal rain in northern areas of the country.
"This year, the rainfall at the beginning of the season was a bit delayed, but all the planned areas were cultivated and the rainfall distribution was good," Mr Qatna told Reuters in Beirut.
He said many parts of the north of the country – which are under the control of Turkish-backed militias, and in Idlib where militants rule – were not contributing to national production figures.
Mr Qatna said the situation was similar in areas of the east under the control of Kurdish militias and US forces.
The global problem of food inflation after the invasion of Ukraine has caused misery for millions of Syrians, with long queues for bread a common sight in many cities that are still recovering from conflict.
Last year, Syria imported about 1.5 million tonnes of wheat, with Russia providing all but a fraction, according to Refinitiv data.
Ukraine accuses Russia of shipping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain from occupied Crimea to its long-term ally, Syria.
With reporting from agencies
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
