The head of the Farmers and Agricultural Workers Union of Baalbek, Ibrahim Tarshishi, indicated that "the Ministry of Agriculture should have been involved in the process of exporting onions abroad, while garlic is a non-Lebanese imported product tied to the exchange rate of the dollar." He pointed out that "the prices of agricultural seasons are exorbitant for consumers."
Tarshishi called for stabilizing the dollar and said in an interview with "Voice of Lebanon": "Do not think that every time the exchange rate rises and prices increase, farmers are making profits because this sector still sells its goods in Lebanese pounds." He also added: "The joyful storm came at its time, and these climatic factors affect agriculture. Today, we have a shortage of rainfall because the precipitation is not beneficial to us and goes to the sea."
He noted that "the agricultural areas have decreased, as have the good varieties, due to farmers' inability to purchase seeds, and in the absence of monitoring and accountability, nothing deters the rise in prices." Tarshishi believes that "the best gift for Lebanese farmers is solar energy."
