Compensation to apple farmers finally released

In a tweet yesterday, the finance minister, Ali Hassan Khalil, mentioned the release of the second LBP 20 billion installment in compensation to apple growers, noting that the first and equal batch of payment has been delivered back in May (: http://bit.ly/2qLojnk). To recall, the government on August 25 agreed to pay the second installment before end of the month, but the finance ministry deferred the transfer of the amount. Accordingly, the prime minister pledged during a legislative meeting on September 16 to release the overdue payment before the end of the month. However, none of these promises were met, which prompted the chief of the Lebanese farmers Association, Antoine Howayek, to egg farmers on to a revolution to claim their demands and rights “under a leadership that has no roof for its struggle” as he said. Earlier in August, apple growers staged a series of protests in response to the delay in payment of the compensation and to reiterate their requests for finding external markets for their produce. On this front, and following the two agreements signed last September between agriculture minister, Ghazi Zeiter, and his Syrian and Jordanian counterparts to increase Lebanese exports to both states, Zeiater stressed on Monday the need to reopen borders with Syria and coordinate with its government on facilitating the marketing of agricultural products to the Arab countries via the Syria gate.  (L’Orient Le Jour, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, October 3, 4, 9, 10, 2017)

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