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Syrian opposition bans wheat exports in response to food crisis

The Syrian opposition’s interim government is trying to prevent the smuggling of strategic crops, namely wheat, from its areas of control, amid a global food crisis resulting from the Ukraine war.
A farmer harvests wheat with a combine machine, in the countryside of the northwestern city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province, Syria, June 8, 2022.

ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian opposition's self-styled interim government in north Syria has been recently working on a plan to purchase large quantities of grains, namely wheat, from local farmers with the aim to boost stocks needed to produce bread. The move is intended to partially reduce the effects of the global food crisis and the risks linked to wheat imports amid the deteriorating economic situation in north Syria.

Syria ranked among the 10 most food insecure countries in the world this year, according to the United Nations. In a February report, the UN said that 12 million people suffer from limited or unsustainable access to food. 

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