Government approves support and compensation to wheat and apple farmers

After the rallies and protests staged by apple growers across the country, the Lebanese government during a cabinet meeting yesterday endorsed the support of farmers through the compensation of LBP 5 thousand for each 20-kg apple box of this year’s harvest while advancing LBP 40 billion to the Higher Relief Council to this effect. The government also decided to offer compensation at the level of LBP 120 thousand for each acre of wheat for the present season only. Citing informed sources, An Nahar newspaper reported that the economy ministry under direct supervision of the minister Alain Hakim himself, will, as of today, Friday, October 7, develop a mechanism of action, in coordination with the Military which has at hand the findings of surveys it took in the past few years of a number of regions. Cooperation, the newspaper wrote, will also involve municipalities, regarding the number of delivered apple trees, the quantity of production and names of farmers. The plan will be followed shortly with the creation of alternative outlets for marketing the production. Al Akhbar today criticized the bombast which, it said, was kicked off by the foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, who strappingly threw the solution in the court of Syrian refugees. Now, the newspaper satirically wrote, it is being manipulated by a group of officials, media figures and merchants for a display of bravado and for promoting certain products. In this respect, the leading mobile operator, Alpha Lebanon, launched yesterday across all its local branches a campaign entitled ‘our responsibility… is to market our products’. The company will distribute apples to all its clients at its 9 points of sale in support of apple farmers. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, As Safir, Al Mustaqbal, October 6 and 7, 2016)