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Boosting agricultural exports to GCC, Jordan, Iraq

20-2-2019

The new minister of agriculture, Hassan Lakis, held discussions  yesterday with the CEO of Dubai Municipality for Environment, Health and Safety Sector, Khaled Sharif Awadhi and the Chair of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Majid Ghureir, ways of agricultural cooperation between Lebanon and the UAE. This includes increasing agricultural exports bound to the Emirates, namely citrus fruits, apples, banana, grapes, potato and food and animal products. Lakis stressed during the meeting that his ministry will work hard to boost Lebanese agricultural production destined to the GCC, Jordanian and Iraqi markets after its decline over the past four years due to the closure of Nassib Crossing and the resulting halt of land export activity. During his tour, Lakis also visited the Lebanese Consulate in Dubai where he talked to Lebanese exhibitors partaking in the Gulf Food 2019 show and Lebanese exporters who briefed him on obstacles impeding the export of made-in-Lebanon products to the Emirates. Lakis reportedly made several contacts to this end. On the other hand, the Lebanese farmers’ anguish continues (: https://bit.ly/2BJhNoG). On February 15, Joseph Isaah, Lebanese Forces MP, appealed to concerned ministers in the new cabinet to step up efforts to create external outlets for the marketing of the apple produce stacked to date in cold storage. He urged them to find quick solutions to the impasse, warning that the Lebanese farmer cannot bear the accumulative losses any longer.  (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, February 17, 20, 2019)
 

Previous related news:
Livestock farmers in Hermel, beekeepers of Upper Metn demand end to foreign competition
Potato, apples and poultry farmers lament unchecked imports
Farmers' misfortunes: Blocked borders, unfair competition, unpaid compensations

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SMEs represent 96% of Arab companies, Lebanon leading in startups

19-2-2019

The director for the Middle East and Central Asia at IMF, Jihad Azour, said SMEs represent nearly 96% of registered companies in the Arab region, yet loans they receive barely exceed 7% of the total bank lending in the region. Azour was speaking during a seminar on February 11 at the American University of Cairo to launch the report, ‘Improving the financial coverage of SMEs in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia’. The report shows that Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and the Emirates have three quarters of startups in the region. In the same vein, Total Group Lebanon announced yesterday that it has shortlisted 15 out of 309 contestants in the 2018-2019 edition of the ‘Startupper of the Year’ competition who registered their initiatives online. Over two days, the 15 finalists presented their projects after receiving the required training to be later evaluated by a local panel. At the end of the nominations, the jury will announce the names of the three winners on March 1, 2019. The young entrepreneurs shall receive a financial prize up to 12500 Euros, in addition to professional mentorship, as well as benefit from an advertising campaign to promote their projects. Total will also announce the top women entrepreneur from one of the candidates to motivate her initiative. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, February 15, 19, 2019)

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Horeca Lebanon returns in April

19-2-2019

The 26th edition of the hospitality and foodservice exhibition, Horeca Lebanon, will be held in Beirut from April 2-5. The show is expected to attract more than 18,000 visitors and over 350 local and international exhibitors from France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, the Netherlands, UAE, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Korea who will showcase their products allowing guests to discover over 2500 food brands. According to Joumana Damous Salameh, the managing director of Hospitality Services, the event organizer, this year’s slogan, ‘For a better industry’ sums up the purpose of the show to become a regional meeting hub building a future for the sector in Lebanon and the Middle East. Over 60 international experts from the world of food, beverages and hospitality will attend the exhibition to present demos and be part of a jury in a number of competitions. Horeco Lebanon will also host two new highlights of Lebanese flavors, and they are, ‘Al Matbakh’, where local and international chefs will supervise a variety of cooking workshops celebrating Lebanese food heritage. The second special event is the ‘Arak Lab’ which allows local experts to share their expertise. (Al Akhbar, February 19, 2019)

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Introducing new Lebanese diplomats to domestic gastronomy

15-2-2019

The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs & Pastry shops in Lebanon organized on February 13 a training course for economic attaches appointed by the foreign ministry to represent Lebanese economic interests around the world. The aim of the workshop is to introduce participants to the Syndicate and its role and work with the various ministries and public departments, as well as its achievements in the past few years. These include, its participation in the gastrodiplomacy (diplomacy of culinary arts) initiative launched during the Lebanese Diaspora Energy conference (LDE) in Beirut and Montreal with the view to promote the culture of the Lebanese cuisine. During the workshop, Syndicate members underlined the importance of Lebanese culinary at home and abroad as an attractive contributing factor to the sustainable tourism for GCC and foreign countries. Participants deliberated the standards and specifications that should be observed in the classification of a Lebanese eatery in expatriate countries. The economic attaches attending the workshop expressed willingness to coordinate with Lebanese emigrants to organize a Lebanese day at the various embassies and to market made-in-Lebanon products, as well as build bridges of cooperation with local exporters of rural, raw and food goods. (Al Diyar, February 14, 2019)

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Livestock farmers in Hermel, beekeepers of Upper Metn demand end to foreign competition

13-2-2019

The anguish of Lebanese farmers continues as a result of the State’s slackness in helping them market their produce and end the fierce foreign competition. In its issue of today, An Nahar newspaper wrote that, due to the harsh economic conditions, Beqaa-Hermel livestock farmers are selling some of the cattle they depend on for their living to feed the remaining cattle. The main hitch or challenge is their inability to dispose of or market the fresh milk produced daily by scores of cows they breed on their farms. Cattle breeders, the newspaper said, are left with two bitter choices: either to sell milk at slash prices or sell the cattle to alleviate financial costs from accumulated debts. On the subject, the secretary of the agricultural unions in Lebanon, Ali Shuman, attributed the direct factors contributing to the slumping milk prices to the large amounts of imported milk powder entering Lebanon (13,000 tons in 2018 as compared to only 4,000 tons in the past). In addition, to licensing the entry of some 40,000 imported cheese packs, as well as smuggled made-in-Syria dairy products. On the other hand, a delegation from the Association of Beekeepers of Upper Metn visited on January 11 the member of the Democratic Gathering, MP Hadi Abul Hosn, to discuss problems facing the sector. Some of these problems are: imported bees, competition, lack of specialization, shrinking prairies, absence of agricultural extension and the arbitrary and unorganized import and use of toxic pesticides. The delegation asked Abul Hosn to work to develop a law that bans the importation of bees, apply taxes on imported honey, ban the import of toxic agricultural insecticides, promote and encourage the cultivation of aromatic crops and construct roads in the oak lands and forests to help in the provision. of spaces for bee colonies and to facilitate the extinguishing of fires. (An Nahar, L’Orient Le Jour, February 12, 13, 2019)

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Campaigning in Lebanon against Violence on the Web

12-2-2019

The head of ‘Say NO to Violence’ association, Tarek Abu Zeinab, said the association is currently implementing an awareness raising and training workshop for youth and children on the dangers of electronic violence and ways to prevent it. The workshop also includes the training of trainers to monitor violations on social media to this effect. Abu Zeinab explained that the majority of violations recorded called for violence and incited adolescents to rebel against their situation through suicide or through joining extremist terrorist organizations, as detected in several Arab countries, notably in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. On proposed measures to face this, Abu Zeinab said he will resort to international tribunals and file requests to prosecute perpetrators of violence via the internet through collaboration with foreign embassies in Lebanon. To conclude, Abu Zeinab stressed the association will not only monitor violations in Lebanon but will coordinate with activists and media experts in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to this end. (An Nahar, February 12, 2019)

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Ministerial visits to Syria’s to discuss agricultural relations will be approved by cabinet

11-2-2019

The minister of agriculture in the new cabinet, Hassan Lakkis, told Al Akhbar newspaper on February 8 that he spent the past few months reviewing the ministry’s files. These include for example, farmers’ demands and needs, preservation of livestock, types of fertilizers, pesticides, production and export, agrarian lands and foreign competition, up to foreign policy and its influence on the sector in general, particularly relations with Syria. On this point, Lakkis explained that the method adopted earlier which regulates visits of former ministers to Syria shall not continue, stressing that current ministers will visit Damascus only by an official mandate that involves the approval of the government and its head. Lakkis pointed out that the committee assigned drafting the ministerial statement has found a solution to the above impasse, proposing that Lebanon’s interest requires a constructive approach in dealing with neighboring Syria. The latter is the only gateway the government in light of the current expensive maritime export bridge. Lakkis also maintained that he will devote special efforts to small farmers and to the challenges they face, especially in marketing their produce. Meanwhile, the head of the Southern Farmers Alliance, Mohamad Husseini, toured on February 9 the citrus and banana orchards and green houses that were devastated by the strong winds which recently hit the coastal area extending from Qasimiya Plain to Naqoura in the south. He appealed to the Higher Relief Committee to quickly survey the losses on farmers, noting that nearly 70% of production was affected. ( Al Akhbar, Al Mustaqbal, February 9, 2019)

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Private entitlements in Coop of Lebanon unsettled since year 2000

6-2-2019

The joint parliamentary committees on January 31 discussed a draft bill to dispense an advance as compensation for the shareholders at the Association of Consumption & Production in Lebanon (Coop of Lebanon). A subcommittee formed from the ministries of finance and agriculture gave a two-month ultimatum to finalize the mechanism required to implement the law. The head of the depositors and shareholders’ committee, Mohamad Qassem, told Al Akhbar newspaper that around 6,000 persons are directly affected by this crisis, including 2,000 persons owning over LBP 20 million, while the amounts owed to some of them reached around LPB 900 million. Qassem explained that the discussion by the parliamentary committee comes after years of strikes and protests by right holders who, before 2000, have invested in the coops when the volume of sales exceeded USD 154 million annually, and the commodity inventory was estimated at USD 42 million. Qassem said he hoped that what he termed as “a tardy step” (after 19 years) would become a reality, noting that during said years, some 150 shareholders died of poverty and deprivation as a result of the State’s conspiracy against them. (Al Akhbar, February 6, 2019)

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Food safety campaign tightens on businesses

5-2-2019

As part of the ongoing food safety campaign, the ministry of economy issued 10 directives suspending the trading in specific products for violating standards while resuming trade in others after settling their situation. The suspended goods are: natural kashta (cream) produced by ‘Fariq Co’ in Naameh south of Beirut; turnip pickles by Siblani for general trading in Mreijeh, Riachi for trading in Zalqa and Ghosn Food Industries in Khiyam; the products of Baker Golden in Sheileh and Snowbra Bakery in Geita, in addition to Al Salam and Al Mahaba restaurants in Bir el Abed, southern suburbs. On the other hand, the ministry’s decision sanctioned the resumption in trading of meat products of Al Ailaat and Wehbeh for Meats in Kfarshima and Tiro Shweifat areas, as well as the natural cream products by Al Jawhari sweet shop in Ferzol, Zahleh. Concurrently, a patrol from the General Directorate of the State Security Department raided a food manufacturing warehouse and factory in the Beqaa for a number of violations and noncompliance with hygiene, environmental and health conditions. The plant owner is under arrest now while an amount of the stored goods were confiscated. Meanwhile, Lebanese Customs seized in Nakkash area a truck coming from Syria through the northern borders carrying 2 tons and 700 kgs of bad meat and chicken, in addition to a depot in Ain Hala, Aley area and another one in Aramoun area selling expired foodstuff. (Al Mustaqbal, February , 2019)

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Bakeries workers' union protest raise in price of flour

1-2-2019

The executive council of the Union of Workers of Lebanese Bakeries in Mount Lebanon and Beirut criticized yesterday the raise in the price of flour for the second time in less than a year. Participants in the meeting headed by president Shehada Masri in the presence of union members, stressed that flour is a fundamental and vital product for all citizens. They demanded subsidizing to help impoverished people face harsh economic conditions and increasing the minimum wage. The council also condemned the arbitrary dismissal of workers in various institutions and companies and the corresponding growth of the rate of unemployment, calling on all parties upset or affected by the incompetent state economic policies to challenge the arbitrary measures to this effect. It urged all popular and trade union factions to take to the streets in protest of the raise in the price of flour and other foodstuffs should they not receive a response from government authorities. (Al Diyar, February 1, 2019)

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