The Cabinet of the Syrian Arab Republic, the state's executive and administrative body, increased the procurement price of wheat and barley for the next season. The price of wheat has been set at SYP 125 per kg (USD 242 per tonne at the official exchange rate of SYP 517.43 per 1 USD) compared to SYP 100 per kg in 2016 and SYP 61 per kg in 2015. For barley, the price has been set at SYP 100 per kg (USD 193 per tonne)compared to SYP 75 per kg in 2016 and SYP 48 in 2015. The measure mainly aims to provide incentive to farmers to boost domestic production, which has gradually declined since the onset of the conflict in 2011. The 2016 wheat harvest is estimated at about 1.5 million tonnes, some 37 percent lower than the relatively favourable harvest of 2015 and approximately 55 percent lower than the pre conflict average. The cabinet also approved a five-year tax exemption for cattle and poultry farms, starting from 2017 (For further details see Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission).