Government starts tackling problems of the agriculture sector

The new cabinet started working on agricultural files, while citrus farmers in Akkar organized a sit-in to protest the lack of disposal/sales of local produce, and the low prices of citrus fruits, addressing an outcry to the officials "to work towards saving farmers and compensating for the losses and stopping the import of citrus fruits from Syria". In a related context, the head of Cooperative Association of Potato Farmers in Akkar, Omar Said Al Hayek demanded from the Ministry of Agriculture to "apply an agricultural calendar that takes into consideration the local cropping seasons and their protection, and to provide all factors enabling their marketing, and export them and not to import the production at the time our crops are ready", pointing out that the Egyptian potatoes that will enter Lebanon in accordance with the agreements starting next February, and hoping that the amounts are limited and finish before the onset of the local cropping seasons in April.  Furthermore, Ministers of Agriculture, Industry and Economy, met last Saturday to discuss problems faced by dairy producers in Beqaa and suggested solutions to the crisis of crashing the prices of milk, where Minister of agriculture Ghazi Zeiater affirmed the commitment of the government and parliament in that respect. On another matter, the Minister of the Economy, Raed Al Khuri, issued a memorandum yesterday that allows wheat farmers to receive checks due to them for the year 2016. (L'Orient le Jour, Al Moustaqbal, Al Diyar, 12, 17,16, 5, 2017)

 

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