Lebanese Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT – Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan began a visit to Syria on Wednesday to meet his Syrian counterpart and the Director-General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), an Arab League organization that works to guarantee food and water security for its members.
Here’s what we know:
• Discussions between the officials will focus on agricultural relations between Lebanon and Syria as well as the organizing mechanisms for the transport of Lebanese products across Syrian territory, according to the NNA.
• Abbas Hajj Hassan announced in early November a “series of initiatives” launched by Jordan for Lebanese agricultural exports. Since then, the boycott of Lebanese products by Saudi Arabia has further aggravated the negative impact of the economic crisis on food producers in the country.
• Lebanese farmers have been suffering for several months due to the boycott. They are also suffering from the effects of the inflation of the Lebanese lira, which has made it difficult to buy materials and fertilizers.
• Lebanese officials are trying to work with Syria again to support the national economy while the country endures the worst financial crisis in its history. A Lebanese delegation visiting Syria last September concluded an agreement on the transport of Egyptian gas through Jordan and Syria to increase electricity production in Lebanon.