Strong rains and reduced violence in many Syrian regions have led to much improved harvests in 2019 but high prices remain a threat to food security, the UN said Thursday. An extensive UN report on crop and food security in Syria cited estimated wheat production of 2.2 million tonnes, close to twice last year's 29-year low.

It remains far from the 4.1 million tonne averaged in years prior to the war which erupted in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. Since then, more than 370,000 people have been killed, half of the population was displaced and millions remain in need of humanitarian assistance.

The UN report said barley yields shot up to even surpass pre-war levels but it warned that bigger harvests did not automatically translate into increased food security.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019