The Development of local communities project for supporting rural women cooperatives

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Hussein Hajj Hassan, inaugurated at the Hotel Management School in Dekwaneh yesterday a workshop entitled “Challenges in Marketing Lebanese Agricultural Products”. The event was organised within the framework of the development of local communities Project implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with the Italian development cooperation, and the Ministries of Industry and Agriculture and with funding from the Italian government. Minister Hajj Hassan noted in his keynote address that the current project targets small and medium size rural women cooperatives and includes two phases; the first is geared towards providing equipment and refurbishing industrial spaces. The second phase includes training of workers in issues related to running agricultural and industrial cooperatives and institutions. The project also seeks to improve quality and food safety, providing assistance to ensure increased quantity of production so as to enable marketing and guarantee sustainability. In the same vain, the Minister called for securing a space for a permanent exhibition for the products of coops which will be a direct relay to the consumers. Hajj Hassan also noted that his Ministry is striving to facilitate financing to cooperatives through the National Credit Union. He also added that new decrees will be issued next year to regulate the relation between the National Union of Cooperatives and the National Credit Union. The development of funding opportunities will be carried out in the framework of a new rural development program which will be funded by the EU. Lending to the cooperatives will be secured from various private banks with a guarantee from Kafalat and with the support of the Central Bank. 

Source: Al-Safir 13 December 2013