The head of the Farmers’ Association, Antoine Howayek, said, “With logic, a solution must be found with regard to the agricultural issue, which is heading for a comprehensive collapse. All production elements are now in dollars, including seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, diesel, nylon, and tents, even workers on dollars, as well as guaranteeing land and water.”
In an interview with the “Lebanese Debate”, Howayek said: “When farmers sell in pounds, they do not catch up until they renew their cultivation, and therefore they may not continue or may not plant for the summer season.”
And he stressed that “there is a crisis, as some stores sell vegetables today in dollars, and I do not know the extent of the legality of this matter.”
He pointed out that “many farmers have stopped farming. For example, in the Bekaa Valley, farmers relied on irrigating lands from artesian wells that needed electricity through generators, but the high cost of diesel fuel forced them to stop farming.”
And he added, “Things are stronger than all, and even if the pricing becomes in dollars, if we consider that a kilo of lemon is sold for 10 cents, then what will the 10 cents achieve for the farmer so that he can continue farming?!”.
He said: “A farmer with a vineyard wanted to buy chemicals. After the calculations, it turned out that the price of fertilizers is 300 million pounds, while his production does not exceed 100 million. A farmer in al-Danniyeh grows tomatoes in tents. He went to get medicines and found that he had no ability to pay the required amount, so he succeeded.” I land it with tomatoes, and this portends a disaster in the coming months.”
Howayek concluded by saying: “The inability of production has become an existing reality, and we must see two steps. The first is to preserve the farmer’s capital through dollarization, while the second step is to set reasonable prices on the dollar.”
