The fate of agriculture remains bleak despite various events and government decisions

Pursuant to the government decision on November 6 to compensate for wheat farmers losses, the minister of trade and economy, Alan Hakim, issued last week a directive asking wheat and barley growers to benefit from the support package for the 2017 season and clarifying the required documents to this effect. (for more on the ordinance: http://nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/show-news/253758/ ). On the other hand, Al Akhbar newspaper published a special feature on the local production of honey in line with the agriculture ministry estimates. There are some 6340 beekeepers in Lebanon, the newspaper wrote, who own nearly 274 thousand beehives and produce a maximum of 25% of the local demand (according to the last BLOM Bank monitor). As a result of climate change, honey production has dropped to 1920 tons in 2015 (USD 11 million), prompting Lebanon to import in the first 6 months of 2016 some 232 tons of honey (at USD 1.83 million), Al Akhbar noted. The majority of honey producers in the country are farmers who have no trademarks for their products, except for the leading trademarks, L’atelier du Miel, Mount Lebanon and Kaddum. The newspaper described the competition in the local market as timid for it does not meet domestic demand. Each farmer, the newspaper went on to say, boasts his own clientele, as most of the Lebanese opt to buy honey directly from the farmer, rendering it more expensive than a honey brand. In a similar vein, the Balamand University and the Chamber of Tripoli and North Lebanon organized last Thursday a‘National Olive Day’ in the district of Akkar in cooperation with the ministry of agriculture. Sideline activities included, an exhibition which showcased a variety of olive made products, and a workshop on the sensory evaluation methodology of olive oil and highlights on the principles of conservation agriculture in olive plantations. (L’Orient Le Jour, Al Diyar, Al Akhbar, November 8 and 11, 2016)

 

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