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In its issue of today, As Safir daily highlighted the decline of cattle-raising in Batroon which has always constituted a pillar for the livelihoods of local inhabitants who relied for fodder on wheat, hay, corn, bran and leftovers from local orchards. According to the newspaper, every household in this northern coastal town used to have in the past one or two cows for milk (generating up nearly 10 liters per day) which was also used in agricultural for tillage and plowing. Presently the total number of cattle raisers is limited to 80 farmers caring for some 400 imported, hybridized and purebred livestock and only two local dairy cows. The newspaper pointed out that in order to increase their seasonal output over thirty years ago, Batroon farmers stated importing foreign-breed cows with high milk production yield, that were imported mostly from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark and the United States, and have given away their local breeds. Explaining the reasons behind the decline of the industry, As Safir went on to underscore the complete absence of government support and of proper agricultural extension services particularly in modern cattle-raising, while farmers continued to pursue the traditional methods in cattle-raising which have become inappropriate for the foreign breeds. Another reason for the decline, according to the newspaper, is that the youth of the region were no longer interested in the cattle raising business as it was looked down upon (presently young farmers make only 1% of total cow keepers). Other difficulties encountered include poor marketing channels, the monopoly of milk-processing businesses, in addition to the absence of supportive farming cooperatives. (As Safir, February 3, 2016)

 

The Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI) launched its first ‘Health, Safety, Security and Environmental Risks Management’ program in observation of the protocol of cooperation signed last June with the Institute for Leadership and Excellence. According to the signed agreement, the Institute will provide the necessary advisory assistance and training services which enable local industrialists to apply international standard.. During the launching ceremony, ALI president, Fadi Gemayel, pointed out that risk management and the provision of safety in our industrial establishments is of utmost importance, particularly that it prevents damages, reduces potential losses and sustain their operation. Similarly, the Minister of Industry, Hussein Haj Hassan, after commending ALI and the Institute for Leadership for their endeavor, noted that “this type of management system is still incomplete and inappropriate in Lebanon when compared to developed countries”, and that related legislations are still inadequate. He called for urgent decisions on several key issues, namely Lebanon’s accession to the World Trade Organization and the 16 year old partnership agreement with EU which until now has not been beneficial to Lebanon. Other top challenges that needed to be tackled, the industry minister added, are unemployment and the widening deficit in the balance of trade and payments.

As Safir, Al Diyar, March 3, 2016

 

The Middle East Job Index Survey conducted by Bayt.com recruitment portal in cooperation with the world-leading online market research YouGov, indicated that nearly 43% of surveyed companies in the MENA region plan to recruit new employees and fill up to five functional positions per each and that during the next three month period. As to long-term trends of employment, they seemed good in general, with some 7 out of 10 companies willing to take on board new staff members over one year period starting now, and mainly in the following sectors: Academic and education (84%); hospitality and tourism (81%) and consumer services (81%). According to the above survey, corporations  in the Middle East and North Africa region are on the lookout for candidates with management expertise (39%), followed by computer skilled professionals (30%), and sales and marketing experts (29%). The study also showed that 65% of companies covered in the survey are interested in recruiting bilingual English/Arabic communication professionals. Others are on the hunt for candidates with outstanding skills in the following areas: ability to work in a team, to work under pressure, in leadership capacities, highly productive and competent (48%, 43%, 41% and 41% respectively). As for educational qualifications, the survey indicated high demand among MENA companies, first for bachelor and master degrees in business (27%), followed by engineering (25%) and trade (23%). It should be noted that the survey data was collected online by Bayt.com during the period between December 8, 2015 and January 21, 2016 with the participation of some 1,232 respondents from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Pakistan.

For further info, please visit the following link: http://img.b8cdn.com/images/uploads/article_docs/bayt-com-ji--survey---february-2016_28942_EN.pdf. (Al Hayat, As-Safir 2 February 2016)

The May Chidiak Foundation (MCF) held yesterday its fourth annual ‘Women on the Front Lines’ conference to shed light on women with outstanding ventures in the fields of business, media and the film industry. The conference included one-day interactive workshops during which participants tackled numerous topics, notably, women’s rights, as well as the major male driven political and legal obstacles that hinder women’s effective engagement in public life and in attaining leading positions. Discussions also focused on the participation of women as voters and candidates in the upcoming municipal elections, in the first phase, which will qualify them later on to run for Parliamentary elections. There they can take part in the drafting and enacting of legislations that improve their social and living conditions by eradicating the discrimination practiced against them at work and in the Personal Status laws. On this occasion, the conference host May Chidiak, pointed out that the domestic violence related draft law is still in the Parliament lying in wait for the signature of 128 MPs and the blessings of the 18 religious sects of Lebanon,” as she put it. “The Lebanese woman is still a captive of the patriarchal male chauvinist mentality that always places her as second to the brother, male relative or spouse. Whereas, we all know that if there was justice, women would excel and surpass their male partners,” Chidiak added. She stressed the need to incorporate women’s quota in the electoral law, which covers not only the voters lists but also the results of elections. For his part, the former Minister of Interior, Ziad Barud noted that the participation of women in public life is still very weak compared to the global, or even more, to Arab ratios. “Strengthening the role of women starts with the adoption of women’s quota and the relative majority elections system, up to the implementation of the civil marriage system” to replace the outdated confessional system. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, As Safir, March 2, 2016)

 

The President of Lebanon’s Farmers’ Association, Antoine Howayek, warned of imminent critical danger following the drastic decline in Lebanese agricultural exports during the past five years resulting form regional turmoil, particularly after the closure of Syria’s land border crossings. Howayek strongly criticized the Ministry of Agriculture, Akram Shehayeb, for his failures, calling on the minister to step down. In an interview with An Nahar daily, Howayek lamented the government’s irresponsible approach towards the productive sector, noting the total failure of the so-termed sea bridge initiative. He said that the responsibilities of the agriculture ministry were effectively reduced to the distribution of seedlings. According to date published in the farmers’ association annual report, exports have fallen by 31% in 2015, with the decline hitting almost all the industry branches. 

For his part, the President of the Investment Development Autority of Lebanon (IDAL), Nabil Itani, indicated that the decline is not as severe as mentioned above. He explained that the causes of the plummeting exports in the middle of last month can be attributed to the fact that the sea export bridge only started to operate on September 17, which coincides with the closing of the agriculture harvest peak. “We have somewhat compensated part of the losses in agricultural exports during the first three months of shipping line operation,” Itani explained, while acknowledging that the plunge in exports reached nearly 42% in April and 38% in May. Within the same vain, the head of the Beqaa Farmers’ Association, Ibrahim Tarshishi, said that the cause for the declining exports was the fall in prices. “The sea bridge has had a positive impact in curbing the fall, but it did not fully replace the land crossings”, he added. The sea bridge cannot possibly replace access to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, for example, or address the difficulty of entering the Jordanian markets,” Tarshishi concluded.  (An Nahar, February 27, 2016)

 

 

The Minister of Industry Dr. Hussein Haj Hassan clarified yesterday that Lebanon has previously signed the so-called Arab Cooperation Agreement Regulating and Facilitating Trade among Arab Countries and a similar trade agreement with the European Union which have had serious negative repercussions on the overall domestic economy. Haj Hassan pointed out to the negative outcome of the above arrangements namely the fall in the volume of exports, resulting in a growing trade deficit of USD 17 billion and USD 15 billion in 2014 and 2015, as well as an average 35% in unemployment. The Minister was speaking after a meeting with his economy counterpart, Minister Alan Hakim, which was held to discuss ongoing preparations for Lebanon’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) ahead of the forthcoming meeting with the latter on March 10. Haj Hassan made clear that negotiations with the WTO should continue but that, amidst the current wide trade deficit, the government needs to focus more on supporting the industrial and agricultural sectors in order to avert any further negative repercussions following accession to WTO. “We are urged to work on reducing unemployment and poverty which resulted form EU trade partnership, particularly since Lebanon is not a major market; noting that Lebanon’s exports to the EU are often hindered and blocked by stringent and complicated technical trade barriers.”  For his part, Hakim stressed that "this is an initial meeting to develop a common vision, but that Lebanon's interests and the interest of the productive sectors, basically industry and agriculture, come first,” noting that the national economy is still resilient. For more on Hakim’s position on this matter, please refer to: http://bit.ly/1QIu5uT (Al Mustaqbal, As Safir, March 1, 2016)                                              

 

The Minister of Economy and Trade, Dr. Alan Hakim, confirmed last Friday during the meeting of the national committee assigned to study Lebanon’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the ministry is still studying the subject from all its aspects. Critical issues, he said, include the upgrading, amendment or drafting of new legislations; review of the formerly submitted proposals and technical documents; training of involved persons in both private and public sectors; assessment of the compatibility of Lebanese systems and laws with principles facilitating international trade; organizing training workshops for persons involved in studying the file, and finally, conducting an assessment survey on the viability of trade agreements. Hakim pointed out to the benefits to Lebanon from WTO membership, which, according to him, include, improving access of national exports to new markets, benefiting form preferential commitments, and strengthening the credibility of the country by the introduction of effective reforms required by the world organization. However, Hakim mentioned that accession will result in obligations which officials need to ensure that they are in line with the interests of Lebanon particularly its productive and commercial sectors. “Every delay”, Hakim warned “raises the cost of accession and leads to additional concessions.” Therefore, “I urge a speedy but not hasty process,” the minister said.  (An Nahar, Al Diyar, February 27, 2016)

 

In anticipation of the municipal elections, the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) in Baalbaq launched on February 26 a new project for building women’s leadership and participation skills. The event which was organized in collaboration with the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) was held under the patronage and presence of Baalbaq-Hermel governor, Bashir Khudr. On the occasion, LOST president, Rami Lakkis, pointed out to the participation of some 120 women who have been selected from the training groups in the towns of Hermel, Shaath, Labweh, Deir al Ahmar, Shmistar and Timneen al Fawka, noting that the training has covered various topics related to leadership, participation in local and municipal action. Lakkis underlined the primary goal of the endeavor which is to engage women in the local development action in order to promote the values of governance, notably fighting corruption, increasing productivity and achieving justice, prosperity and sustainability of work. Similarly, Khudr said that he hopes to see a greater participation of women, as candidates and voters, in the upcoming municipal elections, away from any political manipulation. “Women, up bringers need to be responsible. They should struggle to raise their children on the respect of women’s rights, including their right to assume senior positions and participate in the public life,” Khudr went on to say. And in a special address to women, he concluded “the responsibility for changing the patriarchal mentality lies on you.” (L’Orient Le Jour, February 27, 2016)

 

In cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Saida and the South, the Palestinian Commission for Honoring Martyrs organized last Friday its second annual traditional craft fair under the title, ‘Our Heritage is Our Identity’ at the Chamber’s exhibitions hall. During the ceremony which saw the graduation of the participants in artisan and vocational skills courses, the President of the Chamber, Mohamad Hassan Saleh, noted the significance of such an ambitious activity aimed at economic empowerment and development of social and living conditions of the young Palestinian men and women. He pointed out that similar “endeavors not only seek to support the youth by boosting their vocational and crafts skills, but also contribute to the promotion of the Palestinian heritage and preservation of their culture and identity.” For her part, Amena Awad, speaking on behalf of Commissions’ Women Committee, noted that the exhibition showcases the resilience of Palestinian crafts persons and their determination to return to their homeland. She also briefly outlined the various crafts and vocational training workshops which were implemented. (Al Mustaqbal, February 28, 2016)

 

The president of the Lebanese University, Dr. Adnan Sayyed, signed yesterday an agreement for agricultural cooperation with the owner of Gergy Daccache and Sons Co. Agricultural Company and the head of ‘Ardina’ association, Shawki Daccache. The signing took place at the LU Central Administration in Beirut, in the presence of the Dean of the Agriculture School, Samir Mdawar and a number of faculty staff and company employees. This new cooperation agreement will assist in the development of the Ghazeer center for research and training affiliated with LU Agriculture College. Furthermore, and in accordance with the agreement, the aforementioned private company will provide the university, with a pilot greenhouse for the purpose of student training, advancing scientific research, and supporting the LU in adopting various new know-how techniques. For his part, Shawki Daccache indicated that the initiative is consistent with the goals of his association which seek to develop the agricultural sector and strengthen the contribution of the sector the domestic economy. Daccache also noted that the agreement will grant agriculture specialists, workers and students the opportunity to learn about the latest techniques, and thereafter to adopt them in agriculture. (Al Mustaqbal, February 26, 2016)