Syria: low yields expected

"Bad weather hit Syria's harvest this year, with wheat and barley among the crops worst affected, the agriculture ministry's planning chief said on Wednesday.

Drought early in winter, followed by floods and unseasonable rain, over the last two months wreaked havoc, but Syria will remain a net wheat exporter, although it will require larger volumes of barely imports, Mohammad-Hassan Katana told Reuters.

Syria is a major food and farm commodities players in the Middle East. Its agricultural sector remains heavily subsidised despite widening budget deficits in recent years."