Arab Saleem women cooperative active in Nabatiyeh but in need of government support

In a feature published today on agricultural cooperatives in the southern area of Nabatiyeh, As Safir daily pointed out to the existence of several active groups which however are confronted to various limiting challenges. According to that newspaper the main reasons for their modest performance include, weak public awareness of the of potentials of cooperative work, rigid and outdated legislation concerning the cooperatives; lack of public support to enable cooperatives to compete with the private sector; absence of soft credit services particularly since the closure of the Cooperative and Agricultural Credit Bank , last but not least limited marketing prospects which are confined to seasonal exhibitions, the domestic markets and Lebanese emigrants.

As on of the active cooperatives in the area, the newspaper highlighted the case of the ‘Cooperative Association for Agricultural Manufacture and Production’ in Arab Saleem, which was founded in 2005 following a training workshop held for a number of women of the town and which focused on traditional food processing without the use of chemical substances. The aim of the cooperative as summarized by its president Amena Nathr is to help low-income women build their economic capacities and develop their knowledge and experience in food processing. Presently the cooperative produces a wide range of products which include jams, pickles, juices, olives, nuts, thyme, “mlookhiyyeh”, etc.

(Source: As Safir, July 4 2015)