National olive oil days to develop and protect Lebanese production

The Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayeb stressed last Friday that Lebanese farmers remain his priority, making clear that the recent decision to stop the import of vegetables and fruits from Syria is technical and not politically-motivated. Shehayeb was speaking during the opening of the ‘National Days of Olive Oil in Lebanon’ project at the National Library of Baaqleen, in the Shuf, in the presence of concerned public figures and local farmers. On the occasion, the president of the Federation of the Lebanese Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, head of the Chamber of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Mohammad Shucair, pledged that the federation will always support similar initiatives that aim to strengthen useful aspects of agriculture, strengthen the steadfastness of farmers to their land and increase olive oil exports around the world as the special trademark of Lebanon. Shucair warned that “in order to protect this trademark, we need to fight the marketing and promotion of similar counterfeit goods that enter the country under the label of Lebanese products.” This, Shucair maintained, can only be reached through the adoption of DNA tests to detect the true source of the olive oil, and hence uncover any attempt of fraud. For his part, Shehayeb warned that his ministry shall take preemptive action, to protect local farmers against illegal smuggling adding: “We meet here today to launch the National Days of Olive Oil hopeful of making it an annual festivity in honor of the blessed tree and its growers,” Shehayeb declared, announcing that the project will be extended to Baaqleen, the South, Akkar, Mount Lebanon, Baalbaq, Hermel and Nabatiyeh. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, June 18, 2016)