President of the Lebanon’s Farmers’ Association: 2015 is a tough year for agriculture in the absence of government assistance

In the aftermath of the recent blizzard that hit the agriculture sector in Lebanon, the head of the South District in the Farmers Association, Ramez Osseiran, warned that damages have affected nearly 50% of the green houses, including 50% of the citrus trees and fruits. Speaking to As Safir newspaper, he said, “Devastation started with the first storm to be succeeded with another, which makes it even harder on the farmer to put himself back together”. He described the year 2015 as challenging with no anticipated government compensations. “Farmers are now used to this”, he added. He made clear that damage to the agriculture sector will strike a wider-range of plants, for example, the early flowering almond and loquat trees, especially the certain types of trees growing in the coastal areas. He expressed his disappointment over the government’s neglect of this productive sector when farmers alone lack the means of resilience. In a similar note, and after a meeting chaired by Engineer Hassan Atwi, the board of the National Cooperative Fund for Insurance of the Agriculture Sector against Natural Disasters” urged the government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the High Relief Commission to act quickly and carry out an all-out assessment of damages and losses, mainly in the poultry, beekeeping, banana, vegetables and greenhouses industries. The Fund appealed for support in the form of a budget allocation from within the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget, which will allow the fund to compensate farmers, and to address the long term economic stability of farmers. (As Safir, February 20 2015)