The central committee of potato and onion farmers held a meeting within the “National Meeting of Agricultural Organizations” to discuss the challenges facing potato and onion cultivation throughout Lebanon.
The attendees issued a statement read by the coordinator of the central committee, Abbas Al-Trshishi, warning of “the continued implementation of the Arab facilitation agreement, which, since its introduction in Lebanon, has been met with widespread objection from farmers due to the significant damage it causes to the agricultural sector, despite the Lebanese government’s commitment to it, which has negatively impacted national production.”
He stressed that “Lebanese farmers from Akkar to Bekaa are exposed to a real disaster as a result of the random import of potatoes and onions from neighboring countries, especially from Egypt, at a time when the local market is witnessing a large abundance of national production.”
He also pointed out that “the current season includes large quantities of table potatoes and industrial potatoes, with the stock available to farmers estimated at about 35,000 tons, noting that this season was characterized by a lack of export opportunities, which exacerbated losses and led to a direct threat to the sustainability of this vital sector.”
The participants called on the Lebanese government and the concerned authorities, especially the Minister of Agriculture, to “completely stop imports, especially during this year, in order to protect local production and preserve the rights of farmers, and this demand is a matter of destiny. We emphasize our categorical rejection of any policies that would contribute to the destruction of the potato and onion cultivation sector in Lebanon.”
