The effect of trade liberalisation on Syrian agriculture

Syrian agricultural policy should be characterized by a high level of government intervention, including fixed prices, government monopoly in strategic crop marketing,government distribution of industrial fertilizers, significant barriers on food and agricultural commodities import and so on. Although there were certain changes and liberalization in this area during several last years,the Syrian agriculture remains as the most regulated sector of national economy in Near east and northern Africa. On the other hand,we may state the fact that Syrian governmental agriculture policy was successful considering so called strategic crops most of all in achieving self-sufficiency in wheat production,also an essential increase of cotton production volume which represents most important export crop of this near east country,took a part. Besides this progress there was restriction of disparity development in countryside and municipal household s incomes,which is partial reason for slowing down of Syrian countryside poverty. These positive outcomes were reached at the expense of increasing governmental expenses and worsening of resources efficiency usage both in agriculture production and energy sectors. Considering forecasted spend of oil sources,the Syrian government will be necessarily forced to search for alternative resources of economic growth and government budget incomes in near future. The last five year country plan presumes consequents delimitation of grants and implication of value added tax. There is to be a quite large liberalisation in agriculture sector,which should lead to consequential down of wheat production,sugar beet and cotton and increase of barley,lentil and chickpea production.