Local initiative to support small producers in Lebanon

Dar Onboz launched a new initiative, “Fikri Baladi” inviting Lebanese producers and artisans from various regions to display their products every Wednesday at its Beirut-based house. The market opened last week showcasing soap produced by Artisan Nelly Chemali which attracted a flock of visitors, according to Al Akhbar. For more on the subject, the newspaper spoke to the owner of Dar Onboz publishing, Nadine Touma, who stressed that the initiative contributes to opening the Beirut market to rural producers. But this market, Touma stressed, should be reinforced with similar ventures in order to face the current economic crunch. Touma underlined the need, now more than anytime, to kick off or activate local bazaars to support artisans and craft workers with all means, pointing to market giants that menace small crafts persons restricting them to remote regions. Touma concluded by saying, Dar Onboz seeks to call more tradespersons in order to exhibit a diversity of artisanal handicrafts, including pottery, crop seeds and traditional mouneh items. Today, Amal and Rudaina from Rashaya will put on show their lip-smacking rural foods and home-made cheeses and labneh, she boasted. (Al Akhbar, July 15, 2020)