There are things that are not meant to happen. A wheat deal involving Syria and Russia inked last October found its one foot in the grave as the agreement has yet to materialize and may never be, according to key sources from both countries.
Common Ground
Both countries found themselves in a common ground in not fulfilling the previously-struck wheat deal as the war-laden, Syria, has been hounded with bureaucratic delays while the foreign affair powerhouse, Russia, claimed that the deal did not meet the standards.
A top government official from Syria, possessing the knowledge on the pact, asserted that the million-ton deal has yet to have a final contract as involved parties from the country has been scratching their heads due to government delays.
Although the reason for entering the deal was to prevent bread shortages, he then said that there were no such problems in government-held areas.
Meanwhile, an official at Russia’s agriculture ministry, who asked not to be named, reiterated that the core problem was failure of the country to meet standards as Zernomir, the firm involved in the agreement, said the tender proposed by Syria lacked experience and prices set were too low at 150 euros per ton.
Hobbob, the Syrian state buyer, set three tenders to purchase 1.35 million tons of wheat in the previous year as the nearly six-year war in the country and the poor rainfall sent the harvest tumbling by 1.3 million tons, the lowest level seen in 27 years.