Carob production regressing in Iqleem despite local reforestation

There has been a sharp drop in the number of carob trees in the southern coastal mountain villages of Iqlim Al Kharoub district in the Chouf area, mainly due to the extensive cultivation of olive trees, among other factors. The carob tree which has been grown in the region since antiquity has been neglected for a long time. Urban development projects that swamped the area overtook the landscape and are now threatening the carob plantations with extinction. These challenges have prompted local authorities and civil organizations to carry out some modest reforestation efforts coupled with awareness campaigns. The carob fruit known as “carob pod” is picked in September of every year, is thrashed and the juice squeezed to extract molasses. There are reportedly only six carob pressing centers remaining in the Iqleem and are located in the towns of Burjayn, Ktermaya, Mazra’at al Dahr and Deir Mokhaless. Carob tree planting is of long term economic viability to Lebanon and the world according to FAO. In the Mediterranean region, Spain came first in 2012 accounting for 45% of world production, followed by Italy, 16%, Portugal, 9%, Morocco, 7.5%, Cyprus, 6%, Greece, 5% and Turkey, 4%. As for Lebanon and according to FAO sources, the production of carob recorded 2,300 tones representing less than 2% of world production. (Al Diyar, 19 February 2015)