Lebanese Minister praises Egypt as 2nd exporter of citrus worldwide

CAIRO - 11 July 2023: The Lebanese Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abbas Hajj Hassan hailed Egypt for becoming the second exporter of cirtus worldwide. 

 

Minister Hassan was speaking in a TV show on Cairo News Channel, where he said that although Egypt imports goods, it has become self sufficient and exports goods as well. 

 

He further added that Egypt could be among the top five producers of potatoes, describing this as a good thing, and that Lebanon aspires to reach such goal. 

 

The Lebanese Minister said that his country cannot import what its citizens eats, but it must have a minimum food basket inside Lebanon, such as: wheat, legumes, white meat, and others.

 

The Lebanese Minister of Agriculture continued, that the size of the cultivated areas in Lebanon does not exceed 30 percent, therefore, the ministry is developing a plan to attract both local and Arab investments in order to have a private sector working with the Lebanese private sector under the auspices and umbrella of the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Regarding the support system in the agricultural sector, he said: “Before 2019, there was support, but it was random. Billions of dollars were wasted by donor agencies and FAO, but the result is that the agricultural reality in Lebanon has not changed.”

 

He added, that at the meantime, the issue is completely different. "We have a strategy in the Ministry of Agriculture and partnerships, and I am talking about European partnerships, global partnerships and Arab partnerships," he said.