Syria’s Jazeera region (Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor) remains one of the fundamental pillars of the national economy. Endowed with extensive agricultural land, abundant water resources, oil reserves, and electricity generated by dams on the Euphrates River. Its climatic diversity allows for the cultivation of a wide range of crops.
According to agricultural experts, the Jazeera is the primary hub for Syria’s strategic crops, most notably wheat, cotton and barley. Reintegrating and reinvesting in these lands is expected to strengthen the national economy, enhance food security, reduce dependence on imports, revive agro-industrial activity and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
Over 2 Million Hectares in Reintegrated Areas
Saeed Ibrahim, director of economics and planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, said reintegrated agricultural areas previously outside government control in Jazeera cover approximately 2.567 million hectares. Of these, about 2.316 million are already under cultivation and incorporated into the national agricultural production plan.
Agricultural planning is underway for most crops in these areas, with wheat designated as the top priority. The area allocated for wheat cultivation is approximately 700,000 hectares, representing 48% of Syria’s total planned wheat area. Officials say this expansion will significantly reduce the need for wheat imports.
Barley cultivation is planned across 590,000 hectares, accounting for 42% of the national total. In addition, medicinal and aromatic plants, winter and summer vegetables, and legumes are expected to contribute to securing animal feed and reinforcing agricultural and economic stability.
Cotton, another strategic crop, is allocated 39,000 hectares, representing 78% of Syria’s total planned cotton area. Its revival is expected to reactivate cotton gins and related textile industries, create jobs and help strengthen foreign currency reserves.
A Pillar of Economic National Security and Self-Sufficiency
Dr. Khalid Shraida, head of the Grain Department at the General Authority for Scientific Agricultural Research, said the reintegration of the eastern region will enable Syria to meet domestic wheat demand and move toward self-sufficiency after years of reliance on imports. He stressed the importance of reactivating agricultural research centers in Deir Ezzor and Qamishli to resume experimental cultivation, variety testing and seed multiplication.
Economist Karam Khalil described the agricultural revival of the Jazeera as more than sectoral recovery, calling it a structural shift central to restoring Syria’s economic sovereignty. “This return restores the state’s effective control over three pillars no stable nation can do without: food, the market and currency,” Khalil said.
He added that renewed production of strategic crops such as wheat, cotton and corn delivers tangible benefits to the national economy and local markets. Khalil said rehabilitating agriculture in the Jazeera contributes directly to reducing imports, building strategic reserves and stabilizing prices of essential commodities through increased domestic supply rather than temporary subsidies. He described this as a transition from an economy driven by scarcity and brokerage to one rooted in structured production linked to actual output.
He called for an investment model prioritizing national capital while regulating foreign partnerships under clear legal frameworks. Investment, he said, should focus on operational infrastructure, including modernizing irrigation systems, managing Euphrates and Khabur water resources, constructing silos and storage facilities, upgrading transport logistics and integrating renewable energy to reduce production costs.
From Gradual Recovery to Strategic Reactivation
Developments in eastern Syria represent more than incremental recovery, according to analysts; they reflect a broad reactivation of a key economic resource. Within this framework, agriculture serves as a driver linking food production to industry, industry to markets and markets to national economic decision-making. The reintegration of the Syrian Jazeera into the national agricultural plan is therefore not only a production milestone but also a significant step toward reinforcing economic sovereignty.
