Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani giving a speech at the conference "Agriculture, the Pulse of the Earth," on May 21, 2025. (Photo from the Lebanese presidency)
Under the patronage and in the presence of President General Joseph Aoun, the conference entitled "Agriculture, pulse of the Earth" opened Wednesday morning in Beirut. Organized by the initiative of the agriculture minister, Nizar Hani, and the president of the Economic Council, Charles Arbid, this meeting highlighted the crucial importance of agriculture in the economic reconstruction of Lebanon.
In a speech delivered on this occasion, the minister reiterated his desire to "restore agriculture to its central role" by defining it as a productive, sustainable, and modern sector, "a pillar of the national economy, a bulwark of food sovereignty, and the foundation of a productive and fair state." He emphasized the implementation of an integrated and coherent vision to restore "the strategic role" of this sector.
Hani addressed, in this context, several projects of his ministry. A law to protect forests against illegal logging and fires has been drafted, he indicated, adding that "we are waging a battle to end illegal fishing, and we hope that Parliament will adopt the maritime fishing law."
|The more than 30-year-old structure" of the department is being reviewed, and "a comprehensive digitization process" will be launched, he said.
"In cooperation with our local and international partners, and thanks to political will, we are implementing this year an integrated plan to revive the agricultural sector," Hani stated. He seeks to develop an agriculture sector "capable of creating thousands of jobs in rural areas, a vital economic lever, that preserves national sovereignty, feeds the population, and anchors farmers in their land."
The minister also made a call to young Lebanese, encouraging them to invest in this promising sector, to introduce new technologies and artificial intelligence while respecting the agricultural roots of the country. "I also invite the private sector to invest responsibly in agriculture, because the farmer is the cornerstone of this value chain," he said.
Hani called the presence of Aoun at the conference "the most eloquent message of support to agriculture and farmers."
"May 2025, the first of your term, be the year of the true rise of the agricultural sector and the radical transformation of the path of our national economy: from a rent-based and consumerist economy to a productive, sustainable economy, founded on the effective and fair investment of our natural and human resources," the minister said.
During his speech, the president of the Economic Council stated that "agriculture has always been a pillar of our national economy.' 'Economic and financial crises have laid bare the fragility of our system, but they also have highlighted the forgotten treasure of our land, and a strategic opportunity called agriculture."
Arbid said that "the contribution of agriculture to GDP remains modest," and does not reflect the richness of the land, but rather "the accumulation of failing policies." He also mentioned a "complex structural crisis."
"We aspire to a new understanding of the agricultural sector in Lebanon, in harmony with the developments of regional and global markets," he said.
He also said it was "very important to protect the identity of Lebanese agricultural products, by registering them under the controlled designation of origin, as a strategic step to enhance consumer confidence, both in domestic and international markets."
"This provides a legal framework, international legal protection, and increases the competitiveness of Lebanese products on world markets," he explained.
Lebanese agriculture has always been a vital but fragile sector, facing a progressive decline linked to structural and cyclical problems. Since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2019, Lebanese farmers have faced significant difficulties, notably the rise in fuel costs and imported inputs like seeds and fertilizers. The sector also suffered a severe blow with Saudi Arabia's ban on Lebanese products imposed in April 2021, a measure that strongly impacted agricultural exports.