The head of the Farmers and Agriculture Union, Ibrahim Al-Turshishi, confirmed that farmers will escalate their protests starting next week, with their first action being the discarding of their produce, which is blocked due to the employees' strike, in front of agricultural centers at the Port of Beirut and border crossings, ultimately reaching the Ministry of Agriculture in Beirut.
Al-Turshishi stated: "Thousands of tons of Lebanese fruits and vegetables are banned from export, preventing the entry of foreign currency, and the reason is the employees' strike. While we stand in solidarity with their demands, we urge them to facilitate agricultural exports and emphasize that we should not be held responsible for this economic collapse."
He added, "What we are experiencing today is catastrophic; we are besieged by the ban on exports and we also complain about the decisions of the Ministries of Economy and Agriculture regarding wheat cultivation. Farmers are marginalized and no one wants to buy their crops, and they are banned from exporting. At the same time, we announce to both ministries that farmers are ready to sell their produce to the Lebanese state at a price lower than $100 compared to the global price."
Al-Turshishi emphasized that the absence of ministerial attention is characteristic of our reality at the onset of the agricultural harvest season and that it is unacceptable to turn seasons of prosperity and blessing into fatal seasons for farmers. He called on those responsible to resolve the employees' strike issue and purchase the wheat harvest.
