Agricultural Affairs

Agricultural Affairs

The Agricultural Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus is working to increase U.S. agricultural exports to Syria by providing the following services:

• Informing U.S. exporters about the Syrian market, including, import restrictions, non-tariff barriers, labeling requirements, and major trading competitors.  The office generates a number of reports that are available on the USDA/FAS website.  The major commodities of interest are:  wheat, barley, corn, rice, cotton, and pistachios
• Providing U.S. exporters with information on potential importers of their commodities
• Locating new importers and helping them establish trade relations with U.S. suppliers
• Reporting on policy changes regarding trade in agricultural products
• Helping to resolve problems that arise between suppliers and importers
• Facilitating technical help through partners such as the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Wheat Associates, and American Soybean Association
• Assisting the Syrian importer to find U.S. suppliers for agricultural commodities
  

Agricultural Office Achievements

• Exports of agricultural products increased 72 percent from US$85 million in 2001 to US$147 million in 2005.  Corn sales from the United States to Syria increased from US$61 million in 2001 to US$102 million in 2005
• Providing the Syrian Central Feed Laboratory with equipment that helps local analysts conduct corn analysis, leading to an increase of U.S. corn exports to Syria
• In cooperation with the American Soybean Association, providing technical help and advice to local crushers, including seminars and field visits. This helped increase soybean exports from approximately US$1.0 million in 2001 more than US$28 million in 2005
• Helping local businessmen to establish large scale soybean crushing facilities that utilize the solvent method to provide soybean meal and soybean oil for local and neighboring markets, mainly Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon
• Encouraging major Syrian grain traders and producers of starch and glucose to establish silos that enable them to directly import their requirements of corn from the United States