Agriculture minister see no future to the sector without cooperation with the private sector

Agriculture minister see no future to the sector without cooperation with the private sector 

Amidst ongoing Lebanese farmers protest against the official neglect of the agriculture sector which enjoys only 1% of the state budget, newly-appointed minister of agriculture, Ghazi Zu3ayter confirmed that the budget allocated to his ministry does not exceed LBP 67 billion (equivalent to USD 44.6 million), out of which LBP 60 billion (USD 40 million) are used up in salaries and rent. The remaining amount, he said, barely covers projects planned for the sector, “which is unquestionably unfair” as he put it. Zu3ayter was speaking during a meeting convened by the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, led by Mohammad Shukair, on conditions of agriculture in the country, where he emphasized a number of unavoidable solutions to invigorate the sector, which include: boosting cooperation between the private and public sectors; increasing the budget of the ministry developing a clear-cut strategy;, and accelerating government reimbursement through the state-run agency, IDAL. The minister also called attention to a draft law he is seeking to endorse, which allows the establishment of an agricultural disaster risk insurance, to be funded by involved stakeholders. For his part, Shukair made clear that the agricultural sector represents an important pillar of the economic, social and food security sectors in the country, and advised focusing on key topics. These are: the protection of national production from illicit foreign competition; organizing training courses for farmers in cooperation with the ministry and the agricultural coops in order to improve the quality and increase the capacity of production; the renewal of crop diversity and increase of agriculture budget. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, L’Orient Le Jour, February 17, 2017)

 

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