Promising chestnut cultivation is a success in Tarshish, Matn area

Al Mustaqbal daily reported in a feature published this week the 15-year old successful practice of chestnut cultivation in the town of Tarshish, Upper Matn area, noting that this success can be traced to various reasons, chiefly the immunity of the fruit against diseases and its adaptability to climate changes. The newspaper went on to add that chestnut cultivation does not require any pesticides or fertilizers, and that when the tree becomes mature (between mid September and end of October) it simply tosses its fruits making it easy for farmers to collect and pack, thus saving them the toil and cost involved in the harvest activity. To elaborate on the subject, Al Mustaqbal interviewed Tarshish mayor and head of the of Agricultural Cooperatives Gathering in Lebanon, Gaby Samaan, who maintained that his town’s production of chestnuts has reached 100 tons last year, while the country consumes nearly 6500 tons each year. Samaan disclosed that there are about 6 thousand chestnut trees in Tarshish alone, pointing that in the nest few years, most of the mountain villages will become chestnut producers. He noted that proceeds from this cultivation provide growers with the income they need to face economic challenges, adding that this agri-business has expanded on a large scale to cover, besides the Upper Matn, Aley Jord, Rashaya, Hasbaya, Jezzine, Beskinta, and the North and South areas, according to a survey by the Agricultural Cooperative Association in Tarshish. (Al Mustaqbal, October 6, 2015)