News updates

Silk production can be a profitable industry, yet artisans and crafters in the field are very rare, including one or two loom workers operating in the old Zouk souk east of Beirut. Resolved on preserving cultural traditions, the Municipality of Zouk has been providing the necessary facilities and encouraging the remaining small number of artisans to save their heritage. Zouk ‘Souks’ are famous for their extravagance and exorbitant prices due to the slenderness of manual work and silk embroidery. A member of the municipal court boasts the annual festival organized in the old market to feature this now dwindling artistry. The municipality of Zouk, he said, is determined to sustain the hand loom which has become symbolic of the Old ‘Souk’. To be noted that “silk bureau” was closed 15 years ago, according to As Safir newspaper which published an article on this subject last year (click here for more info.), thus ending with this closure the era of silk production in Lebanon. Michel Leon, the last general director of the “silk bureau”, noted that turning the page on silk production in Lebanon was a non recoverable loss adding that this sector did not put any additional burden on the treasury but rather would have secured economic income as well as social advantages in terms of income for rural families as well as traditional handicrafts. Leon noted that the silk bureau was created back in 1956 and played a distinct role in agriculture, industry and development, stressing that it was the first independent institution in Lebanon. Leon went on to elaborate that this sector is not very demanding and can create jobs for rural people, hence stop the tide of migration to cities. He also emphasized that raising silkworms takes only one month and would have absorbed masked unemployment especially amongst women, retired people as well as other sections of the population. (Al Diyar, 25 June 2015 and As Safir, 18 October 2014)

In an interview with daily Al Diyar, the Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi clarified his ministry’s determination to control illegal Syrian labor force in Lebanon by every possible means. He listed several measures taken so far as follows: stringent mechanisms in granting work permits; intensive investigative and inspection action; issuance of violation control records against law defying institutions and record keeping by the General Security of all Syrians entering or leaving the country. However, Azzi admitted not being able to properly manage the situation because of low staffing while throwing the blame on employers and agencies who recruit Syrian laborers through illegal and twisted manners. He also reiterated that the fines on violators are set at LBP 2700 thousand. Azzi stated that his ministry has approved only 900 out of 2600 work applications it received recently. In his response to the series of protests and complaints by agricultural unions and contractors against the so-called Kafala sponsorship system, Azzi chose not to address the problem of labor shortage while arguing that the Kafala system is internationally recognized and is not peculiar to Lebanon. He described requests to cancel the GS or insurance fees or reduce the Labor Ministry fees as unlawful. (Al Diyar, 26 June 2015)

The harvest season in the southern plains of Al Wazzani are perishing due to shortage of Syrian labor, disruption of export routes and saturation of domestic markets. Overcome by the problems, farmers decided to destroy thousands of acres of planted watermelons, tomato, cantaloupe and the Egyptian cucumber thus incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. It is also to be noted that the frost and hail storms that hit the area last winter delayed production for 10 days thus enabling production from the Beqaa areas to gain first access to domestic market. Adding to the misery of farmers, was the General Security’s decision to restrict the entry and residency permits of Syrians in Lebanon through the imposition of the Kafala sponsorship system resulting in a decline of 70% in Syrian labor force. All these factors compounded to affect the harvest season. Farmers of Al Wazzani areas were forced to leave non-harvested their fruit trees, like apricots, peaches and prunes and other agricultural produces. Farmers are now appealing to authorities to revise the decision on labor sponsorship decision in the interest of the agriculture sector. (An Nahar, 26 June 2015)

The Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM) held an opening ceremony last Saturday and introduced a series of new hiking trails starting from Shwan- Ftouh Kesrwan east of Beirut as part of its ecotourism program. The event was held in the presence of Minister of Tourism Michel Pharaon and the Special UN Coordinator in Lebanon Sygrid Kag. After completing two treks on the newly inaugurated trails, the opening ceremony was held at the ecotourism lodge showcasing the traditional ‘Mouneh’ of Jabal Moussa, its handicrafts, seedlings and APJM publications. The center it will be recalled was renovated and equipped by the Association with the support of the Swiss Drosos Foundation. Speaking at the event, APJM Chief Pierre Doumit stressed the need to expand the geographical scope of the Association’s development activities to cover additional towns and villages. (Al Diyar, 24 June 2015)

The Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Agricultural Center in Koura, North Lebanon, organized an extension seminar on the development of avocado planting at the Church Hall of Batroumine. Agricultural expert, Ibrahim Hariri elaborated on the various types and sources of avocado as well as the features and methods of growing, pruning and spraying them. He also described ways of preparation of land for cultivation while stressing the importance of soil quality and protection of the avocado orchard against the wind. Hariri also demonstrated with pictures the proper methods of topping and fertilizing avocado, underlined the importance of identifying diseases and learning about ways of treating these diseases. (Al Diyar, 24 June 2015)

A report prepared by the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon IDAL revealed that USD 2.5 to 4 million in monthly government subsidies toward the cost of sea transport of agricultural and industrial exports to Gulf countries and Jordan, are needed, as a temporary alternative to land transport. According to the study, nearly 98% of Lebanese agricultural exports are headed to Arab countries, 73% of which go to Jordan and GCC states. Statistics also indicated that while 84% of above exports used to be transported in 2011 by land, only 5% were shipped by sea. However, in 2015, and after the closure of Nassib Crossing on the Syrian Jordanian borders, the size of land exports dropped to 25 points against an increase by one fourth in maritime shipments. For 2015, IDAL estimates the size of agricultural exports to the above mentioned countries at 300 thousand tons against 76 thousand tons in food processed exports and 62 thousand tons for industrial exports. The report went on to say that some 11 thousand trucks are needed to ensure transportation during 2015. Furthermore, and based on its sources IDAL estimated the additional cost of maritime shipping at 25%. As such, the cost of one truck will average between USD 1500 and  USD 2500, thus brining the total to USD 2.5-4 million per month that will need to be covered by the Lebanese government. According to the current scenario, 3 ro-ro vessels will need to be hired; each accommodating some 100 trucks and that is for a period of 7 months. In a similar vain, the Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, visited the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Zahleh and Beqaa and met with tens of exporters and farmers who announced heir intention to stage a wide strike and a day of wrath on Saturday June 27 if the Cabinet fails to adopt a decision to support exports. A further discussion meeting will be held next Monday between Chehayeb, exporters, farmers and IDAL. (As Safir, L’Orient Le Jour, 22 & 23 June 2015)

Wheat cultivation remains one of the key pillars of agriculture in the northern area of Akkar similarly to tobacco and grapes despite all challenges. However, local farmers are now demanding the concerned ministry to support this year harvest by raising the delivery price paid to farmers to LBP 800 from LBP 450. Wheat growers told Al Mustaqbal newspaper they were satisfied with the quality of this year’s season despite the lower than expected quantity. The lower production is due to the decline in the total area of cultivation resulting from reduced delivery prices which barely covers the increasing costs of pesticides, irrigation and labor, especially with the new restrictive government measures regarding the entrance of Syrian seasonal workers. Lebanese farmers point out to two main problems facing wheat cultivation: the low delivery price adopted by the Ministry of Economy, poor and inadequate storage conditions which affect the quality of the harvested crops. One farmer, Khudr Zahraman told the newspaper that the age old problem lies in government’s failure to adopt a clear timetable for receiving the harvest which causes problems in storage. “Today we harvest, but where and how do we store the yield, and in which conditions?” he noted before adding that the government seems not to be concerned with the plight of the farmers. He concluded that farmers have no option but to wait for the announcement of the wheat pricing list, noting that the premium rate quality is normally priced at LBP 595, the first rate at LBP 580, the second and third at LBP 570, with prices sliding down to as low as LBP 450. (Al Mustaqbal, 23 June 2015)