Apple growers escalate their actions and demand solutions for marketing their harvest

The president of the apple growers association in Lebanon, Gaby Semaan, reminded the Minister of Agriculture in a statement issued last week of his promise to facilitate the marketing of this year’s harvest. He called on the minister to secure a ship that will carry the excess apple harvest to buyers in Egypt and other Arab countries.  The statement noted that the present situation represents a real disaster which is born entirely by the apple growers while enquiring about who will compensate their losses.
Semaan added that, according to data, apple production this year reached some 135 thousand tons of which, only some 3000 tons have been sold.  He further revealed that the producer association will be organising an “apples day” next Saturday 18 October, while calling on all apple farmers to take the streets at 11:00 am of that day and hold road barrages to distribute apples on passersby and to throw apples in front of the media.

Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Akhbar 14 October, Al-Diyar 15 October 2014