Syria harvest boom brings hope as hunger spikes

Damascus, July 3 (AFP/APP):   Watching a combine harvester grind through his golden wheat, farmer Yahya Mahmoud is relieved the yield looks good this year, even as a tanking economy leaves millions hungry across war-torn Syria.

Before the war erupted in 2011, Syria produced enough wheat to feed its entire population but harvests then plunged to record lows, boosting reliance on imports, mainly from regime ally Russia. Heavy rains and reduced violence in parts of the country this year have led to a much improved harvest, one that farmers and officials hope will soften the blow of an economic crunch that has plunged millions into food insecurity.

In the Al-Kaswa region near the capital Damascus, Mahmoud eyed yellow wheat stalks, their ribbed tips shining under the strong June sun. “I rushed to harvest my wheat crop this year… to feed myself and my family,” said the 61-year-old farmer, fearing crop fires as summer temperatures soar.

“Those who grow wheat don’t go hungry,” he added, a brown hat covering his head. More than nine years into a conflict that has killed over 380,000 people and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population, a staggering 9.3 million Syrians face food insecurity, the United Nations says.

The value of the Syrian pound has reached unprecedented lows against the dollar on the black market, sending prices soaring in a country where the UN says nine out of 10 people now live in poverty.

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