LEB/ LEBANON: AGRICULTURAL STRATEGY FOR 2015-2019 UNVEILED WITH EU SUPPORT

The Lebanese Agricultural Strategy 2015-2019, elaborated in the framework of the EU-funded
 "Agricultural and Rural Development Programme", has been launched this week. This new
 strategy aims at developing the institutional capacities and increased preparedness of the
 Ministry of Agriculture to tackle challenges that are dominant in the sector.
 
 It also emphasises the need for additional financial resources required for its implementation.
 These will include resources to be raised from increased national budget allocations over the
 next five years, but also additional resources to be procured through close collaboration with
 donors and resource partners for funding a number of priority programmes and projects
 identified under the strategy.
 
 Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon,
 highlighted the importance of the strategy, saying it was "the result of very meticulous work based on a thorough sector assessment, lessons learnt from the past and with an unprecedented participatory consultation of a broad range of stakeholders, line ministries, agricultural syndicates, unions and the private sector. This strategy should therefore be a dream for any Minister of Agriculture!"
 
"At the core of the thinking are safer and higher quality foods from local produce and imported products, combined with a greater competitiveness of Lebanese agricultural products," she added...(link)