News

In an unprecedented move, New York authorities announced yesterday the promotion of the first African-American woman to a top patrol job. This first comes at a time when protests by Black Lives Matter movement continue. NYC mayor, Bill de Blasio, appointed Juanita Holmes chief of patrol, to become the first female to take on the role of overseeing 77 police stations and a majority of New York Police Department (NYPD), the largest municipal force in the US with around 35,000 employees. The Democratic mayor said during a press conference: “it’s really time to have more and more women in positions of leadership in NYPD and in police forces all over the country.” Holmes, who has been in the NYPD service for 30 years, has been in charge of liaising with the public since last December. (An Nahar, October 29, 2020)
 

With the start of the olive harvest season in southern villages, the vice president of the General Labor Confederation, Hassan Faqih, disclosed that this year’s supply of olive oil and olives will not be abundant. He attributed this to rain water scarcity which has been causing a slippery slope in the overall production. Faqih told the National News Agency (NNA) that this year’s harvest will be half the size of last year’s crop produce. Besides, olive farmers anticipated the price of one container of olive oil to rise to LBP 600,000 compared to LBP 200,000 last year, whereas one kg of table olives is expected to be sold at LBP 15,000 compared to LBP 7,000 last year. Citing farmers in Nabatiyeh, Hasbaya, Arnun, Kfartabnit and Zawtar, NNA said the crop production this year will be small barely covering the cost of fertilizers and cultivation. It will just about secure the household ration of mooneh. (Al Diyar, October 26, 2020)
 

This past weekend saw a number of civic, local and official initiatives in support of farmers in Beqaa. The caretaker minister of agriculture, Abbas Mortada, opened on Sunday the ‘Lebanese Vine Day’ organized by the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) at the Community Farm in Baalbek. Mortada said on the occasion, that such exhibitions  are part of the ministry’s strategies to achieve rural development, and to strengthen the cooperative sector. Furthermore, Mortada inaugurated on Saturday the ‘Green Project’ Office at Hermel Serail, while stating that the opening of the office  will facilitate administrative procedures for all people of Northern Beqaa. He also opened an agricultural center in the Beqaa town of Arsal, as part of the ministry’s efforts to alleviate the harsh conditions in the town. On the other hand, Jihad Al Binaa Development Association, in collaboration with the Union of Municipalities of Hermel, kicked off last Friday the second phase of Al Hakura project for family agricultural production. The event comes as part of the association’s efforts to bolster the  household economy, rebuild the food system and boost the steadfastness of local villagers. Similarly in North Lebanon, the first phase of the Maronite Mutual Fund program started in Diman and Wadi Qannoubin in support of local farmers, and which includes soil testing to determine the feasible types of crops in the area, as well as the required nutrients for existing as well as newly reclaimed lands. (Al Diyar, October 24, 25, 26, 2020)
 
 

After repeated demands to increase the prices of tobacco supplies in relation with the hike in the price of the dollar and the corresponding weakening of the purchasing power of the Lebanese lira (https://bit.ly/3jjhXpM), the head of the Union of Tobacco Growers, Hassan Fakih, disclosed a compromise has been reached with Nassif Siqlawi, the director general of Regie, to increase the prices by 50% from last year (to become LBP 18,000 instead of LBP 12,000 per kg). Noting, that the Regie will start collecting the tobacco supply from farmers in the South as of Monday, October 26. A reminder that a number of southern villages rely entirely on the tobacco cultivation, namely Adshit, Tulin, Ksseibeh, Rmeish, Beit Lif, Aita Jabal, Yohmor- Nabatiyeh and Kfartabnit, Fakih reminded, pointing to the difficulties tobacco growers encounter. These include, notably, the soaring costs of land tilling, cultivation and pesticides, the increasing price of land lease by three times compared to last year and finally, the damage caused by the ravaging wild fires which hit Lebanon and the South recently. (Al Diyar, October 21, 2020)