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Al Akhbar: Horeca lacks luster for its silver jubilee

28-3-2018

After the opening last week of the largest annual hospitality trade show, Horeca 2018, under the slogan ‘From Lebanon to the world’, (https://goo.gl/Ly9QPe) , Al Akhbar wrote yesterday, it is fair to admit that the exhibition lacked the luster pictured on its silver jubilee and that nothing is alluring or striking enough to conquer the world. Yet still, it is not without some positive outcomes, to expect the least. As its broad title relays, the exhibition was aimed ‘from Lebanon to the world’, yet the number of international participants was below expectations and the majority of companies were present in the past few years. Some told the newspaper that they participated out of ‘an obligation or a proof of attendance’ rather than for the display of new and original services and goods. Besides, the newspaper went on to say, the entrance fee for ordinary showgoers from outside the industry was set at LL 50,000, whereas specialists, invitees and staff entered free of charge. Ironically, the event which is supposed to be hospitality-related, did not impart a sense of hospitality or bounty given the prohibitive entrance fees. One advantage of the event is that it offered small scale producers and manufacturers the space and opportunity to showcase their products and secure new markets and clients for their businesses. The article is found on the following link: :https://al-akhbar.com/Finance_Markets/247054. (AL Akhbar, March 27, 2018)

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Honoring, prizes at Horeca 2018 hospitality fair

23-3-2018

Hospitality Services inaugurated on Tuesday the 25th edition of Horeca (until March 23) under the slogan ‘From Lebanon to the World’. During the opening ceremony, the International Hotel and Restaurant Association awarded Nuhad Dammus for his remarkable contributions to the hospitality sector. Honored as well were a number of pastry owners for their pivotal role in establishing the Arabic sweets industry, and the Cedar Ambassadors who were recognized based on their originality, service and high quality Lebanese food. Some 14 famous chefs from Lebanon artfully presented a series of Lebanese dishes with the latest cooking methods, and were commended by the minister of tourism who shared the tasting experience during his tour of the exhibition. Also during the National Extra Virgin Olive Oil Contest, on the sideline of Horeca 2018, the director general of the ministry of agriculture, Louis Lahud, handed the 1st Golden medal to the winning competitor ‘Bustan al Zaytun’ from Green and Pure who was chosen out of 14 producers by a jury of local and international connoisseurs. On the other hand, the school of agriculture and food sciences at USEK celebrated Mother’s Day by inviting the mothers of faculty members and administrators and students to the contest, ‘My Mother’s Bite’. The acclaimed chef Antoine Haj was there to answer the questions of the participants and give them some tips and advice on mouneh preparation. The mothers prepared a variety of dishes within a competition to choose the best traditional Lebanese dish by Haj. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, March 22, 23, 2018)

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Fransabank launches three youth educational initiatives

23-3-2018

During the Global Money Week, from March 12-18, and as part of its continuous support to the young people of Lebanon and its commitment to social responsibility, Fransabank launched three educational initiatives targeting youth. The first is a training and education day organized by the Bank for some 250 school students from the following schools: College Protestant, Greenfield College, International College, Lycee Verdun and Melkart College. It included panel discussions with Bank officers and staff who gave a presentation on the basic banking concepts and mechanisms and how the bank operates, an overview of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, as well as the products and services offered to the youth. The second is in cooperation with Injaz Lebanon, where Fransabank held the Camp Business Challenge competition on March 17 at USJ with the participation of 6 student teams. The beneficiaries have completed a training workshop focused on several topics, mainly, the support and development of the innovation and entrepreneurship system; orientation on a healthy commercial attitude; financial knowledge; marketing strategy and teamwork. The third initiative is La Dictee des Finances competition implemented on March 12 by Fransabank in collaboration with Basil Fuleihan Institute. (An Nahar, Al Akhbar, March 23, 2018)

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New campaign to promote Lebanon globally

22-3-2018

The minister of tourism, Avedis Guidanian, launched yesterday the new international promotional campaign, ‘Lebanon, Passion for Living’ following a competition organized by Rethinking Lebanon association to come up with a smart slogan to this effect. The first, second and third place winners were announced among the participating school and university students, as well as Lebanese expats. In an another news, the total value of Lebanese industrial exports in 2017 slightly marginally declined to USD 2.474 billion against USD 2.526 billion in 2016, according to a report by the Industrial Information Department, the ministry of industry. The value of imports of industrial machinery and equipment during the past year stood at USD 257.4 million compared to USD 235.5 million in the same period of 2016, with a 9.3% increase, the report said. (Al Diyar, Al Hayat, March 22, 2018)

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Regulatory framework impedes Lebanese business startups

21-3-2018

L’Orient Le Jour published a report by Arabnet on Lebanese startups based on a survey of some 90 emerging entrepreneurial ventures between November 2017 and January 2018. According to the report, the Lebanese regulatory framework is the main concern for (two-thirds) of entrepreneurs who related difficulties to three main aspects: The taxation system, an absence of financial and e-payment procedures and business registration and incorporation issues. One startup owner, Carl Naim, said it took him two weeks to register the establishment in Beirut, compared to 48 hours in UK and one week in Dubai, and spent nearly USD 5,000 in registration fees. In a parallel development, the minister of economy and trade, Raed Khoury, said during the Financial and Investment Education conference on Saturday, that the Lebanese youth suffer from the absence of a comprehensive financial culture due to a lack of a national economic vision, which causes a lack of understanding of the government decisions. “Our youth lament a deficiency in economic planning which should be integrated in the curricula,” Khoury said. He pressed for the formation of a committee to study labor market requirements, in collaboration with the universities, in order to focus on the needed competencies and, therefore, build up prospects of employment for the young people of Lebanon. (L’Orient Le Jour, March 19, 21, 2018)

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Syria imports from Lebanon 119,000 tons of agricultural products and exports 100,000 tons

20-3-2018

Despite, frequent talk in Lebanon about Syrian dumping, Syrian agriculture ministry source reported that exports of agricultural goods to Lebanon reached 100,000 tons (excluding dairy) during 2017, against 119,000 tons of made-in-Lebanon products exported to Syria, foremost of which are bananas exports. The exported and imported items, passing through Agricultural Quarantine Center, posted 78,862 tons (agricultural goods) and 39,990 tons (processed items) coming from Lebanon, the source added. Bananas topped the list of imports from Lebanon (22,83 tons), followed by wheat flour (19,477 tons), against 100,000 tons, (primarily apples) of Syrian exports into and through Lebanon during 2017. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Cooperative Association of Potato Farmers in Akkar headed by Omar Hayek, visited last week Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who, according to Hayek, was extremely responsive. Hariri reportedly conferred with concerned parties with the aim of reducing the imports of potatoes (from Egypt), securing markets in the Arab Gulf countries for the surplus and supporting maritime export of agricultural products, Hayek maintained. (Al Hayat, Al Mustaqbal, March 14, 20, 2018)

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Horeca 2018 from Lebanon to the world

19-3-2018

Hospitality Services announced in a statement yesterday the opening of the largest exhibition for the hospitality and food industry, Horeca 2018 (March 20-23) at the Seaside Pavilion in Beirut. The annual trade show in its 25th edition is organized this year under the slogan ‘From Lebanon to the world’ highlighting the latest made-in-Lebanon essentials and solutions in the hospitality industry with the expected participation of more than 15 thousand exhibitors from the region and the world, the statement said. More than 350 local and international companies will showcase some 2500 famous brands allowing visitors a rare opportunity to discover the trendiest products, from food to kitchen equipment and accessories, up to packaging, packing and labelling services. Horeco 2018 will envisage an eventful program, 25 activities per day, including cooking competitions, workshops, forums and contests involving over 30 chefs from around the globe. (Al Mustaqbal, AL Hayat, March 19, 2018)

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PSP and the challenges to the agricultural sector in Lebanon

16-3-2018

In cooperation with Fredrich Ebert foundation, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) organized yesterday a national conference for agriculture under the patronage of chief Walid Jumblat represented by MP Akram Shehayeb. During the conference, PSP leadership council member, Walid Khattar, called for methodical government support to this vital sector and its workforce that makes nearly a quarter of the population, cautioning against an increased unemployment and a real revolution of the poor classes. It is urgent, Khattar said, to promote rural development, cut the migration of people to urban areas, encourage farmers to stay steadfast in their land and back the sector which is a keystone of the national economy. For his part, Friedrich Ebert Beirut resident representative, Achim Vogt, underlined the impact of agriculture on all the Lebanese, particularly in the capital Beirut, in terms of the quality and quantity of goods. He outlined the problematic issues faced by sector which are related to the size and caliber of production, prospects of its marketing and the State’s protection of agricultural products. In his turn, Shehayeb disclosed that the conference’s recommendations will set a roadmap for joint action to salvage and strengthen agriculture in Lebanon, promising to refer them to the concerned authorities, and to work hard through the available partisan, legislative and ministerial avenues in order to achieve them. (Al Mustaqbal, March 16, 2018)

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Food safety in Lebanon now in the hand of MoET

14-3-2018

The center for the quality of drug, food, water and chemical resources at the Lebanese University announced that it will be holding its first scientific conference on March 16 entitled, ‘The drug, food and water security: what enters the body becomes part of it’, with the participation of a group of researchers from the University and private universities. According to the founder-director of the center, Dr. Nazih Bu Shahine, the conference will focus on air pollution in Lebanon and its impact on human health, the impact of agricultural products in food and other topics that reflect the declining function of the immune system among the Lebanese which ultimately impacts their resistance to diseases. To recall, the center was established in 2016 and is involved in scientific research, noting that it conducted the microbiological tests of food samples during the large food safety campaign launched by former health minister Wael Abu Fa3ur in February 2016. Bu Shahine lamented the disruption of said campaign which targeted restaurants, bakeries and meat houses across the country, pointing out that the current health minister said this work is the responsibility of the ministry of economy and trade (MoET). He expressed readiness of the center to train MoET staff on safety standards. (An Nahar, March 14, 2018)

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Accelerated vocational training in Tripoli

5-3-2018

The Economic and Social Fund for Development launched yesterday the Accelerated Vocational Training Program in Tripoli which is part of the EU-funded project to promote local economies in host communities, especially in areas most affected by Syrian displacement and to create jobs for economically-marginalized communities. The program includes an integrated package of training tools adaptable to labor market requirements and technological development, like, industrial electricity, maintenance and industrial mechanics, TOEIC Bridge and computer engineering leadership (MS). The program aims to rehabilitate trainees who are school dropouts or technical baccalaureate students and graduates in order to provide them with jobs in Tripoli and the environs, according to Mohamad Arabi, supervisor of the program. To note, the program will be implemented over the period of two years, and the training is free. (Al Mustaqbal, March 5, 2018)

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