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The Lebanese Minister of Industry, Dr. Hussein Hajj Hassan, invited the Industrial Research Institute IRI and the Lebanese Cleaner Production Center to develop a sustainable production strategy which is based on the rational use of resources in order to limit pollution, control prices and eventually help industrialists to strengthen their competitiveness.  Hajj Hassan spoke during the event organised yesterday to distribute certificates on experts and industrial institutions which completed the "Cleaner Production Programme" that is implemented by the centre in collaboration with UNIDO and the Austrian Embassy.  Hajj Hassan noted in his key speech that production and industry are indicators of country advancement and development.  He added that the objective for Lebanon is to adopt the sustainable production strategy at low cost, while insisting on the importance of working towards equitable trade through strengthening mutual relations with Arab and foreign countries, and based on clear terms that are primarily beneficial to Lebanese production.
Hajj Hassan noted that high production costs in Lebanon are due to the adoption of a rent based general economic policy and particularly in terms of favoring the development of the real estate sector which has led to the galloping rise of real estates prices without adopting any corresponding control mechanisms on real estate profits (including higher taxation on profits).  He added that particular circles of interest are collectively blocking any attempt for reform on this front.  The other reason for high production costs, according to Hajj Hassan, relates to the high cost of energy in Lebanon.  He criticised the stalling strategies of some politicians who are delaying the process of oil extraction for petty political reasons.
 The event also included speeches given by IRI director, Bassam al-Furn, Director of Lebanese Cleaner Production Centre, Ali Yaacoub, Austrian Ambassador, Ursula Fahringer, and Nada Sabra, representing UNIDO Regional Representative Cristiano Bassini.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Diyar, Al-Akhbar 20 March 2014

The new Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, stressed the importance of monitoring and control of any forest exploitation and development project. The Minister was speaking yesterday with the project team during the presentation of the "project to support local development in North Lebanon" (ADELNORD), which covers the areas of Akkar, Dennyeh highlands and Hermel. The project which is implemented by the Council for Development and Reconstruction in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and with grant funding amounting to 18 million Euros, from the European Union, includes several components namely: the construction of a 130 kilometer long agricultural road, 80 kilometer meter long irrigation canals as well as one sand pond.  The project will also entail the rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructures in collaboration with local municipalities, cooperatives, local agricultural centers and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute.  Other components include the setting up of local community organisations for water users/consumers in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Water and the water directorates in the Beqaa and the North as well as supporting municipalities to develop and implement local development plans.
After presenting the project, emphasis was placed on its environmental component as Chehayeb noted the importance of putting in place strict control mechanisms to make use of forests so that the project does not allow indiscriminate tree cutting.  He also emphasized the importance of environmental awareness in order to preserve Lebanon’s natural wealth and encourage environmental tourism.  He also spoke of the need to set up management systems that regulate investments in forests while preserving and protecting them from fire.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Diyar 20 March 2014

The Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, met yesterday with a delegation of the Syndicate of food Industrialists with whom he discussed food safety and consumers' health as primordial concerns.  He noted that all decision makers, farmers, food industrialists and traders are concerned with public health and food safety.  He added that he refuses that any party in the production cycle suffer from injustice and will not allow jeopardising consumers' health.  Chehayeb insisted on the importance of the food industry in developing the national economy and the role it plays by processing local agricultural production.  Chehayeb further insisted on the importance of the Ministry's laboratories and his readiness to consider the rightful demands of the Syndicate notably regarding developing the laboratory services.  Chehayeb disclosed that his Ministry asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gebran Bassil, to support plans to market Lebanese wine, olive oil, apples, honey and other agricultural products abroad.
Chehayeb also met with a delegation of the union of wineries and wine producers and indicated that the relation between his Ministry and the union is promising and called for the increase in the surface area of vineyards so as to generate new work opportunities in the sector, and for improvement in the quality of production so as to make the Lebanese wine industry competitive worldwide.  He added that his Ministry is working in collaboration with the union as well as the relevant authorities and ministries to prepare the Lebanese wine day which will be held in Berlin on May 5th 2014, especially following the success of the previous Lebanese wine day organised in May 2013 in Paris.  The Ministry is also preparing to hold the second Conference on Lebanese wine in October 2014 in collaboration with the international organisations of vineyards and wine.  The first such conference was held in Kaslik in 2013.
Source: Al-Diyar, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Safir 19 March 2014

The formation of the National Interest government last February gave impetus to local, Arab and foreign investments, especially after the agreement reached in drafting the Ministerial Statement.  This has immediately resulted in an improvement in the lending portfolio of Kafalat which annual statistics showed an 18.26% increase in loans (which over the period totaled some 136 new loans compared to 115 for the same period in 2013).
The total value of Kafalat loans increased to LBP 27.84 billion, the equivalent of USD 18.47 million until February 2014, whilst the average value of individual loans decreased to LBP 204.72 million, i.e. USD 135,800. Agriculture and industry sectors received the major part of loans recording 25.21% and 35.29% respectively. According to the data presented by “Kafalat” concerning the distribution of projects up to the month of February in 2014 compared with 2013, approved projects in the agriculture sector increased by 69.5 % with 29 new approved projects (42 new projects until February 2013, compared to 71 new projects until February 2014). Projects in industry also increased by 9.09% with 4 newly approved (44 projects in 2013, against 48 projects in 2014) whereas new investment in tourism dropped by 42.11% falling from 19 projects in 2013 to 11 projects in 2014.
In terms of the geographical distribution of Kafalat loans, Mount Lebanon scored the biggest percentage of the loans with 36.77%, followed by Beqaa (25%), the North (14.71%), the South (10.29%), Nabatieh (8.82%), and Beirut (4.41%). With regards to foreign investments, the service sector scored highest with 28.3% followed by industry (16.7%) and media (15%).  Lebanon was thus able to attract 60 new foreign companies in 2013 which are affiliates on representation office, compared to 53 companies in 2012 according to sources of IDAL )The Investment Development Authority of Lebanon(.
In addition to the above, the association of Lebanese Industrialists was able to open four new industrial zones in Tyr, Jezzine and Zahrani in the South and Terbol in the Beqaa, which will offer local companies tax waivers given by IDAL for a period of 10 years with the aim of providing incentives to attract capital to these areas and to limit migration from rural to urban areas to through the development of local economies.
Source: Al-Safir 18 March 2014

For more information about the industrial zones, please review the news that was published previously on WEEPortal:
Industrialists launch four industrial cities which will create 20,000 new employment opportunities, on 18/2/2014

Global Shapers Beirut organised a seminar in collaboration with Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service at the American University in Beirut.  The event was entitled "Youth Unemployment: Bringing Davos Insights to Beirut”, and was held on March 3d with the participation of the General Director of Kafalat, Khater Abou Habib, and the Director of Massar association, Kamal Shayya.
Global Shapers shared with the participants the main outcomes of the Davos World Forum regarding global unemployment causes and solutions.  The representative of Global Shapers Beirut at the Davos World Forum, Ziad Mabsout, highlighted the direct link between education which does not match market need and unemployment in addition to rapid population growth, the impact of the international economic crisis, the feeling of despair and the absence of state policies that address unemployment.  Mabsout then shared the solutions which were presented at the World Economic Forum namely strengthening links between schools and universities on the one hand, and potential employers on the other, in order to respond to market needs. He also stressed the importance of orienting students in this direction in addition to training children at an early age in rational and critical thinking, to direct them toward private entrepreneurship, supporting enterprises and creative ideas generated by the youth and providing necessary training for university students before they graduate.
For his part, Abou Habib discussed with the youth present at the seminar the possibilities to apply international recommendations in Lebanon.  He added that unemployment is an endemic problem in Lebanon especially in the absence of accurate statistics and studies and since consecutive government did not address this matter seriously.  Abou Habib noted that he personally endorses Kafalat's strategy aiming to support pioneering initiatives proposed by young people because these create employment opportunities and strengthen the local economy.  Shayya noted that pioneer initiatives need to interact with other factors so that Lebanon can become a holder of talents.  He highlighted five components of the youth strategy which was endorsed by the government namely: linking education to market need, protecting local labor, controlling employment criteria, developing technical training so that it meets market needs and giving due consideration to the industrial and agricultural sector which have been long neglected in favor of commerce and services.
To be noted that Global Shapers Beirut was created in 2012 and is one of 309 groups working in different parts of the world within the framework of the Global Shapers International initiative that  was launched by Davos World Economic Forum aiming at including pioneer and non affiliated youth from all over the world in local and international decision making.  The group includes 16 young women and men in Lebanon and who are considered as decision makers.  The group works with social and economic experts who provide them with advice so that they are able to apply the Davos recommendations to address unemployment.
Source: Al-Hayat 18 March 2014

The Minister of Labor, Sejaan Azzi, met last week with a delegation of the Trade Union of Hotels and Restaurant Workers to discuss the fact that many businesses in this sector are resorting to employing foreign staff at lower wages rather than local staff especially since Lebanese hospitality staff are facing unemployment and are being forced to migrate to the Gulf in order to find jobs.  The Minister instructed the Inspection Directorate in his Ministry to raid hotels and restaurants that are hiring foreigners illegally and take on legal measures against them.
The meeting also discussed the numerous complaints issued by employees and workers and which are not being processed on time due to their large number and the unavailability of sufficient arbitration courts.  The Minister informed the trade union that he will call the Ministry of Justice and suggest that they increase the number of arbitration courts to resolve all pending files.
Source: Al-Nahar 15 March 2014

The new Historical Village House Heritage Museum was inaugurated yesterday at the Southern entrance of Shehim, the Sherifa neighborhood, under the auspices of the Municipal head and with the participation of a number of local figures and village residents. The owner of the Museum, Mohammad Subhi Abdallah, welcomed the participants and noted that the project is a means to preserve the history and heritage of the region and aims at creating a tourist attraction and at preserving heritage in Iqlim al Kharroub so as to attract citizens and tourists in the Shouf region.  Abdallah added that the house hosting the museum is more than 300 years old and includes implements and utensils which were in use historically such as the spinning wheel as Shehim was renowned for its weaving, a charcoal iron, the machine to produce the traditional Fes, plow and yoke of agriculture, as well as traditional kitchen utensils.  He noted that all these implements are for display only and not for sale.  The Museum also includes a small shop to sell local food products as a means to encourage and help local farmers and producers. The municipal head indicated during his speech that the Municipality encourages such projects which are likely to help local residents and improve their livelihoods and their health and environmental status. He also commended Abdallah's efforts in preserving local heritage.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, http://www.charlesayoub.com/more/635288">Al-Diyar 18 March 2014

Al Akhbar newspaper published a report today on rural cooperatives to which farmers resort to in order to market their surplus local crops. cooperatives The report highlights the experience of a number of rural women cooperatives in South Lebanon who are involved in agro-processing and that use traditional know how to process local raw agricultural products into foodstuff of good standards that are marketable externally with reasonable profits. One such women cooperative is Deir Kanoon Ras el Ein cooperative which uses cracked wheat, sesame seeds, wheat and olive oil to produce traditional and healthy bread.  The president of the cooperative, Daad Ismail notes that the cooperative was created in 2005 and enjoys a large membership of women in the area who now are making products that have reputable locally and in countries of the Lebanese diaspora.
In Deir Mimas (Marje3yoon), the Cooperative for Organic Agriculture and Ranching has become the hub for producing tons of natural honey and extra virgin olive oil according to its president, Amal Hurani, who notes that the olive oil produced by her association competes with Italian products.  She adds that the organisation has become very important to tens of families as it creates opportunities to market products.  For her part, the president of the Cooperative Association for Agro-Processing in Deir Kanoun An Naher, Hanaa al Husseini, noted that women from the region are trying as much as possible to make use of all existing agricultural products to produce healthy food items free of chemical preservatives.  However, she complains that they do not get any official support from the part of the municipality or any other public party to help them market their products.  Khodr Sarhan from Kfarkella transformed his supply of olive oil which he could not sell because of competition and extra supply into olive oil soaps of different kinds after he participated in a training workshop organised by World Vision.
The report highlights the support to cooperative organisations and municipalities provided by World Vision which organised a number of training in agro-processing and marketing and has helped set up 5 groups of 170 people. In addition, WV is helping municipalities organise exhibitions such as the exhibition of Safad el Barikh in Bint Jbeil which was opened recently.  The federation of municipalities in Jabal Amel set up, for its part, a dairy production factory in Houla (Marjeyoun) and a pastry workshop in Tibeh.
Source: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/202710">Al-Akhbar 17 March 2014

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOSA) organised in collaboration with the livestock directorate in the North and the Amioun municipality and extension seminar on "artificial insemination and sexually transmitted diseases in cows".   The event was held at the CLAC Centre de lecture et d'activite culturel and was attended by the president of the agricultural centre in Koura, agronomist Marwa Hammoud, the responsible of CLAC, Joelle Hajj Obeid, agricultural technical expert, Pamela Morcos, and a number of men and women farmers from the area.
Livestock expert and veterinary assistant Francois Chidiac stressed during his intervention session the importance of proper management of artificial insemination and its impact on reproduction and annual profits.  He specified the steps to be followed to get good fertility results namely healthy nutrition, vaccination, healthy environment (aeration, lighting and proper temperature), regular veterinary check ups, proper familiarity with the insemination cycle, and maintaining updated livestock registries.  The session was followed by a discussion between the audience and Chidiac and the distribution of a guidebook offered by the project to rehabilitate the dairy sector in the Beqaa, Hermel and Akkar.
In Akkar, the agriculture centre in Hrar organised for its part an extension seminar on olive management and the importance of conservation agriculture.  The event was organised in collaboration with MOSA project aiming to support local development in North Lebanon and was attended by the president of the centre, Taha Moustapha, who spoke about developing olive farming and improving quality and production volume and the subsequent returns on farmers.  Expert Jean Stephan presented a detailed explanation of diseases and pests that attack olive trees, fruits and foliage and the importance of addressing these collectively to get proper results.  He added that the Ministry of Agriculture will follow up on this session with the distribution of special formic acid traps to combat olive pests.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 17 March 2014

The survey of household budget for 2012 carried out by the Central Administration for Statistics (CAS) indicates that the average annual household spending rose to USD 20,749 in 2012 compared to USD 12,764 in 2004 thus scoring an annual increase of 6.3% between 2004 and 2012.  According to that same study, spending on accommodation and utilities (water, electricity, gas and other combustible fuel) constitutes 28.5% of total spending (i.e. USD 5,913 per year).  This is followed by spending on food and non alcoholic beverages constitutes 20.6% of total spending (i.e. USD 4,266 per year), transportation 13.1% (i.e. USD 2,719), health care 7.8% (i.e. USD 1,623), education 5.9% (i.e. USD 1,215), clothing 5.4% (i.e. USD 1,118) and finally, communication 4.6% (i.e. USD 948).  To be noted that according to the study referred to by Bank Byblos weekly newsletter, Lebanon this Week, spending on accommodation alone used up 16.6% of household spending in 2012.
Source: L’Orient Le Jour 13 March 2014