In the agricultural sector, which employs one-third of the working population, cotton is the main commodity as well as being a key export. Wheat, barley, fruit and vegetables are the other main products, the bulk of which are grown for domestic consumption.
Oil production is the main industry, accounting for two-thirds of Syrian export earnings.
At the start of the 1990s, the Syrian economy was largely state-controlled. The demise of the Soviet Union and the Gulf War then caused serious disruption to regular trade patterns, although Syria did accrue significant financial dividends from joining the US-led coalition against Iraq. Since then, the Government has introduced gradual market-oriented reforms but the economy remains highly regulated. The Government has undertaken to accelerate the reform process in order to attract the foreign investment which it wants to develop the economy. Germany, Italy, France Spain and Turkey are the country's main trading partners.