Minister of Agriculture refers a report to the Public Prosecution regarding smuggled and unregistered agricultural pesticides threatening public safety

As part of its ongoing efforts to protect the agricultural sector and ensure food production safety, the Minister of Agriculture has referred an official report to the Public Prosecution regarding the circulation of unregistered and smuggled agricultural pesticides in local markets, in clear violation of applicable laws and regulations.

The report explained that the ministry received information indicating that an entity called "Sonic Agricultural Establishment," which presents itself as an agricultural company, is promoting and selling prohibited and unregistered agricultural pesticides, suspected to originate from Syrian territories. According to the data, these materials are marketed and sold to farmers through irregular methods, exposing agricultural safety and public health to serious risks.

The ministry stated that these pesticides are delivered in unlabeled containers or without any identifying stickers, preventing knowledge of their components or their compliance with approved standards. They are also distributed via a delivery company called "TopSpeed" (Beirut - Al-Khandaq Al-Ghamiq, Saad Street, Fawaz Building), complicating tracking and accountability processes.

The Ministry of Agriculture affirmed in its report that these practices pose a direct threat to the agricultural sector, due to potential damage to crops, dangerous repercussions on consumer health and the environment, as well as negative impacts on the reputation of Lebanese agricultural products.

Accordingly, the Minister of Agriculture requested the Public Prosecution to take the necessary legal measures against the violators and to work on stopping these illegal activities, in order to protect both farmers and consumers alike.

In this context, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Nizar Hani, thanked the Public Prosecutor, Judge Ahmad Rami Al-Hajj, for his prompt response to the report, especially since this initiative came on his first working day after his appointment, before taking the legal oath, reflecting a clear commitment to following up on issues related to the public interest.

The Ministry of Agriculture affirms its continued intensification of oversight on agricultural inputs and its confrontation of any illegal practices threatening food security in Lebanon, calling on farmers to commit to using only registered and approved pesticides and to report any violations to preserve the safety of agricultural production and the health of citizens.