key highlights:

1. In September 2023, the Council of Ministers endorsed the annual agricultural production plan for 2023-2024, which was submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR). The plan is targeting to plant a variety of crops namely, 1.5 million hectares of wheat and 105 thousand hectares of legumes. MAAR also requested farmers to complete their production license applications via the nearest agricultural extension units, which will make them eligible to benefit from the inputs and fuel subsidies for the upcoming winter cropping season.
2. MAAR announced that the distribution of subsidized diesel to farmers to cover their agricultural production needs, will begin by October 2023 based on the agricultural production licenses obtained by the farmers. Furthermore, the mechanism for delivering this service will be the same for petrol in the transportation sector through an automated system. Each farmer will get a smart-card and will receive an SMS notification, informing them of the location and date to collect their subsidized amounts.
3. In September 2023, the General Organization for Seed Multiplication (GOSM) announced their preparedness to deliver 90 000 tons of wheat seeds and 5 000 tons of barley seeds for the 2023-2024 season cultivation, which will meet 80 percent of the needs of the annual agricultural production plan. The new official prices will be announced after the plan is endorsed.