Syria: An Economic Survey 



The total area planted with annual crops amounts to 12,662,- 

 918 dunam (2,874,393 1/3 acres), of which 



5,889,936 dunam (46.5%) are planted with wheat 



3,836,842 " (30.3%) " " " barley 



1,091,216 " ( 8.6%) " " " durrha 



723,412 ( 5.7%) " " " vetches, peas, 



beans, lentils 



431,329 " ( 3.4%) " " cotton 



255,493 ( 2.0%) " " sesame 



434,690 ( 3.5%) " other crops 



Wheat is chiefly grown in the Hauran, which supplies Da- 

 mascus, Beirut, the Lebanon, and part of Palestine, and exports 

 some to other countries. Other wheat regions are parts of Trans- 

 jordania, the Esdraelon Valley, and the Beka'a (Coelesyria). The 

 three kinds of wheat most extensively grown are Hauran wheat, 

 red and white Salamuni wheat (Beka'a), Baladi wheat and Nursi 

 wheat (Damascus, Esdraelon Valley) and Douchani wheat (Beka'a 

 and Damascus). Wheat is sowed in December or January after 

 the first heavy rain and is harvested at the end of May on the 

 coastal plain, somewhat later in the mountain districts. The total 

 wheat crop of Syria may be estimated at a million tons. (Hauran 

 and vicinity 150,000, Beka'a 100,000, Esdraelon Valley 50,000, 

 etc.) Subtracting 10 per cent for seeding, there remain 225 kilo- 

 grams per capita for the population. Up to the present time the 

 quantity of wheat exported has been negligible. The price of 

 wheat in the ports ranges from 200 to 250 francs per ton. 



Barley, the most important crop next to wheat, is grown prin- 

 cipally around Horns and Hama, Gaza and Beersheba, and in 

 lesser measure throughout the whole country. The five kinds most 

 extensively cultivated are Eoumi, Arabi, the Hama-Homs variety, 

 the Aleppo variety, and the Gaza variety. Barley is in great de- 

 mand by English brewers and whiskey distillers. Its price in 

 the ports ranges from 125 to 175 francs per ton. The annual 

 yield is estimated at 500,000 tons. 



Durrha is a summer crop. It is sowed in March or April and 

 harvested in August or September. Durrha is used for bread by 

 the fellaheen. Part is exported to Malta and Algiers, and to 

 spirit factories in England. In 1912 the total yield of 200,000 

 tons was sold for about 30,000,000 francs. 



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