Hani: The Ministry's Place Is Alongside the Farmer on His Land

Continuing his tours across Lebanese regions, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani traveled between Nabatiyeh, Chouf, and Jezzine, closely monitoring farmers' conditions and the agricultural sector, assessing damages and needs, launching supportive initiatives, and reinforcing local and international partnerships aimed at agricultural recovery, rural development, and securing farmers on their land.

Nabatiyeh

Hani began his tour in Nabatiyeh with Houda Al-Turk, accompanied by Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjirr Sjirrsmas and Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sidah. The delegation conducted on-site assessments of damage to the agricultural sector and its impact on farmers’ livelihoods and production capacity. The visit provided an opportunity to present the Ministry’s priorities for the recovery phase, including assisting affected farmers in returning to their lands, restoring production capabilities, rehabilitating damaged farmland and agricultural infrastructure, strengthening rural communities’ resilience, and exploring opportunities to expand cooperation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and leverage its advanced expertise in modern agriculture, innovation, resource management, and value chains.

Hani emphasized that "the next phase requires moving from damage response to building a comprehensive agricultural recovery path based on rehabilitating production capacities and investing in farmers, land, and agricultural infrastructure." He stated: "For us, agriculture is not just an economic sector; it is a matter of food sovereignty, sustainable development, and rural resilience. The farmer is the foundation of any genuine policy for uplifting Lebanon’s countryside. Therefore, we do not want responses in affected areas to be limited to addressing losses—we are working to transition into a recovery phase and rebuild production capacities on more sustainable foundations, enabling farmers to return to their land, resume production, sustain operations, and compete effectively."

Chouf Gate

From Nabatiyeh, the Minister moved to the town of Kfarfaqqud, where he participated in the opening of the "Chouf Gate," a step enhancing local economic development and rural tourism, providing additional space for marketing agricultural, food, and handicraft products unique to the region. He stressed the "importance of integrating agriculture, rural tourism, food industries, and crafts, as this model has the potential to add value to local products, improve rural household incomes, open new market channels, and create economic opportunities in villages and agricultural areas." He affirmed that "the Ministry encourages initiatives that move products from field to market within an integrated value chain while preserving the identity, resources, and agricultural and culinary heritage of the countryside."

Qitoli

In a new agricultural stop in Qitoli–Jezzine, Hani launched, in collaboration with the association "Al-Sahra Khassaba," a project distributing seedlings to 1,150 farmers to boost their production capacity, encourage continued farming, and promote more sustainable practices. He affirmed that "providing seedlings and production inputs is part of a comprehensive support process that must be accompanied by technical guidance, ongoing follow-up, selection of appropriate varieties, production planning, and linking output to market demands." He said: "Supporting farmers does not end with supplying seedlings or inputs—it begins there. What we are building is an integrated system encompassing advisory services, modern technologies, quality improvement, and extending through post-harvest sorting, packaging, processing, and marketing. Our goal is not merely increasing output but empowering farmers to achieve fair and sustainable economic returns from their land and labor."

Rmeileh

In Rmeileh—Chouf coast—the Minister met with farmers and assessed the sector’s status in a region with promising potential and diverse production, particularly in tropical and specialty fruit cultivation. He listened directly to farmers’ concerns and challenges, discussed ways to enhance production, improve quality, adopt suitable agricultural technologies, and develop post-harvest infrastructure and services such as sorting, packaging, and storage, thereby increasing product value and competitiveness.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of organizing production and linking it to markets, and actively exploring new markets for premium Lebanese products, offering farmers broader opportunities to sell their produce and improve their incomes.

Jezzine

Hani concluded his field day with a broad agricultural forum dedicated to discussing the state of the agricultural sector in the Jezzine district, where he listened to farmers’ needs, regional priorities, and challenges facing various agricultural activities and production chains. He stressed the "importance of designing programs based on regional needs and agricultural characteristics, and strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, municipalities, associations, the private sector, and farmers, to transform local potentials into sustainable productive and economic opportunities."

As part of advancing this collaborative approach, Hani signed a cooperation agreement with the association "Inmaa Biladi" to develop joint efforts in agricultural and developmental fields and support initiatives serving farmers and rural communities.

At the end of the tour, Hani affirmed that "direct presence in regions and listening to farmers form a fundamental pillar of the Ministry’s operational approach," emphasizing that "agricultural policies become more effective when they stem from ground realities and are translated into implementable programs." He said: "Our field visits are not protocol-driven—they are part of the Ministry’s operational methodology. We come to regions, listen to farmers, define priorities together, then link real needs to national programs and partnerships with municipalities, associations, the private sector, and international partners. What we seek from these partnerships is investment reaching the land, production, and value chains, leaving a lasting economic and developmental impact."

He added: "The Ministry of Agriculture belongs alongside the farmer, on his land, in his village, among his fields. We will continue our presence across all Lebanese regions because our vision is clear: protecting farmers, boosting production, developing the countryside, advancing value chains, opening markets for Lebanese products, and ultimately building a modern, productive, competitive, and resilient agricultural sector that serves as a cornerstone of national food security and economic stability."

Note: This tour is part of a series of field missions led by the Minister across various regions, aiming to align agricultural policies and programs with on-the-ground realities, expand the base of local and international partnerships, and advance the shift from immediate interventions to sustainable projects and programs supporting production, marketing, and rural development.