Ukraine to prepare long-term program for food supplies to Syria and Lebanon

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the government to transfer the program of support for the Syrian people to a long-term aspect in order to make it predictable and stable over a long period together with international partners, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval said.

He noted that Syria needs all food products, since 13 years of exhausting war have led to the fact that the country practically does not produce them on its own. At the same time, the country's population is 24 million people.

"Unfortunately, the agricultural sector is very poorly represented due to climate conditions. The available 4.4 million hectares of land suffer from drought. Therefore, Syria is interested in supplies from Ukraine not only of wheat, but also especially of flour, vegetable oil, sugar, meat products, poultry, and beef," the minister explained.

According to him, a dialogue has been initiated between the governments of Ukraine and Syria and an understanding has been reached that support should be stable, not one-time, long-term and predictable.

"As a country that is going through a war, we understand that it is very important to have predictability in food supplies. Ukraine's place in food security is very important. We understand the need to continue to ensure food security in this region. This is not only about Syria, but also about Lebanon," Koval emphasized.