The President of the Association of Farmers in Lebanon calls for preventive measures to deal with water shortage

The President of the Association of Farmers in Lebanon ِAntoine Houayek, called through As Safir newspaper today farmers to start irrigating some of the fields or replanting them again in anticipation of  prolonged water shortage.  Hayek noted that some fields are starting to lose their vitality and are beginning to feel the effect of drought.
Despite this problem, he added that agriculture in Lebanon is still doing well especially since water shortage is not a new phenomenon as it has recurred several times during the past few years and that crops have not yet been drastically affected.  He described current views about a potentially disastrous situation of the agriculture sector as groundless and not based on credible standards or a correct understanding.  He further called to wait until mid February to judge the impact of low rainfall, adding that the expected rainfalls during the coming few days are likely to compensate prior negative effect.  However, he also warned that should the level of rainfall remain the same, farmers should, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, develop alternative plans to secure necessary irrigation according to the needs of different crops.
Source: Al-Safir 7 February 2014