Kick-off of 2012-2013 training program for cooperatives || Newspapers (Arabic)

The Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Hajj Hassan, launched the 2012-2013 training sessions for cooperatives during a formal ceremony which was held for that end at the Ministry of Agriculture premises on Monday October 1st.

The Minister noted that the launch of the program falls within the framework of the national strategy to support cooperatives’ work while stressing the importance of the role that cooperatives play notably in terms of solving various problems that small farmers face as well as their important contribution in developing the agricultural sector.  He specifically added that the cooperatives can contribute to increasing productivity, decreasing costs of production and improving marketing.  He also indicated that the government is supporting the expansion of agricultural exports through IDAL, the special institution set up for this purpose and which is steadily consolidating its operations and ensuring that new markets are available for local agricutural products.  Finally, the Minister denied that markets for apples and grapes were closed in the face of Lebanese products but confirmed that there were difficulties in marketing olive oil in view of the global slump in prices of this product.

Original news in Arabic: Assafir