Confusion in marketing bananas and apples to Syria and Egypt

In its edition of today, An Nahar newspaper referred to the failure the long negotiations with the Syria over the entry of Lebanese bananas into Syrian markets, without pointing out to contrary news that originated from Damascus (http://bit.ly/2elJaM6) . As such, agricultural unions, according to the newspaper, are resuming their protests demanding a solution before the month of January, which is the maximum period bananas can hold before going to waste. In this respect, southern banana growers sent an open letter to the president of the republic, house speaker and the director general of Hizbullah to intervene for opening the Syrian markets to their products. In the same vein, the Gathering of Farmers of the South held yesterday a meeting at the banana packaging center in Adloun, Tyre, in preparation for their planned demonstration on Monday, in which they are expected to block the Southern highway at Gaziyeh, in protest over the government’s inexcusable indifference.  Meanwhile, the agriculture minister, Akram Shehayeb, who denies the existence of any crisis, and who believes that the decision to close borders with Syria was in answer to persistent demands by different unions representing Lebanese farmers, as reported Al Akhbar on November 7, is still discussing with the Egyptian Consul in Beirut the possibility of exporting Lebanese apples. The Lebanese Army in the meantime, has begun an assessment survey of apple cultivated farmlands in line with a cabinet decree to compensate apple growers for loss of exports. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, Al Diyar, November 10, 2016)