Step Toward Social Security Coverage: Project to Enroll Farmers and Fishers in the Social Security System

Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hanani received a delegation from the Central Health Committee of the "National Forum of Agricultural Bodies" in his office and held an extensive meeting to discuss enrolling self-employed farmers and fishers into the social security system, enabling them to benefit from health coverage and social protection.

Participating in the meeting were Maha al-Ghoul representing the Ministry of Labor, engineer Sara Rammal representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Fadlallah Shams, Deputy General Manager of the National Social Security Fund, Ghassan Munaim, Director of the General Union of Cooperative Associations in Lebanon, Ali Tamer, Chairman of the Central Health Committee, along with committee members and representatives from relevant institutions.

The participants discussed the necessary legal, administrative, and financial frameworks for establishing health insurance for this group, as well as contribution mechanisms that account for the unique characteristics of agricultural and fishing work, including their seasonal nature and fluctuating incomes.

Minister Hanani requested the preparation of a comprehensive draft decree serving as a legal foundation for enrolling self-employed farmers and fishers into the social security system; it was also decided that the "National Forum of Agricultural Bodies" would conduct a series of visits to ministries, agencies, and relevant authorities to present the project and mobilize the necessary support for its adoption.

The discussion also addressed the agricultural registry and its role in identifying beneficiaries and ensuring service delivery. Hanani announced that the number of registered farmers has reached approximately 86,000, emphasizing the need to complete registration, update data, and expand the national information base on workers in the agricultural sector.

He noted preliminary estimates indicating that around 30,000 farmers could benefit from social security if the decree is adopted, stressing that providing health protection for farmers and fishers "is not merely a sector-specific demand, but an investment in the stability of rural families, resilience of local communities, and continuity of agricultural production and national food security."

He also called for activating mobile units affiliated with the regional offices within the ministry to travel to villages and towns, assisting farmers in registering in the agricultural registry, thereby facilitating their access to related services and programs, particularly those concerning support, social protection, and agricultural advisory services.