Agriculture two-folded blows because of the Syrian crisis

After the closure of ‘Nasib’ crossing at the Jordanian-Syrian borders, farmers and exporters were left with the expensive sea route which is twice the current transportation cost. Moreover, the new solution is resulting in delays ranging from 10 days to one month for goods to arrive at destination. One merchant and exporter, Riad Al Samad complained that one cooler vessel is costing between USD 5 and 6 thousand compared to a USD 2500 - 3000 overland. Describing the present situation as disastrous, Samad reminded that recently total exports were falling every year as a result of high freight costs and mounting danger on land routes. Costs of shipping, he maintained, have risen from USD 2000 to nearly USD 4000. “But now, shipment by sea is expected to cost as much as USD 7000, which will undoubtedly result in additional costs and losses for Lebanese traders,” Samad added. He explained that exporters have reduced their exports to the maximum, noting that while they used to export 35 cold storage trucks every month, they do so now in 4 month period. Likewise, Muhammad Mubayed, a farmer and exporter, lamenting the current situation, said that the citrus fruits sector has received a severe blow and demanded exceptional governmental efforts to save the industry. He added that farmers’ losses in the last 10 days reached some USD 150 thousand and that only 20% of total citrus production was sold this year. On a similar note, potato cultivators in Akkar, appealed to the Lebanese authorities, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, to find a sustainable solution to the emerging crisis of agriculture exports. Speaking on their behalf, Omar Hayek, chief of the agriculture cooperative for potato growers in Akkar, pointed out that some 80-100 thousand of tons of potato are threatened, while noting that the Akkar farmers rely mainly on potato seasons for their livelihoods. Similarly, Beqaa farmers complained about shortages in seasonal agricultural workforce, primarily from Syria which dropped by 50%, as a result of recently imposed restrictions. The head of the Department for Agriculture Services and Development at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zahle and Beqaa, Engineer Saeed Jadoun, indicated that Syrian seasonal workers who normally commute to work in Lebanon, did not show up this year. Moreover, farmers complained about the additional costs incurred as a result of this new shortage. As a result of shortage, farmers are forced to pay workers LBP 40 thousand a day against LBP 10 and 20 thousand in the past years. To this should be added the payment for the residency fee amounting to LBB 400 thousand, and LBP 120 thousand for the work permit. (As Safir, L’Orient Le Jour, 17 April 2015)