Agriculture

The Agricultural Extension office of the Chamber of Zahle and the Bekaa assists farmers, agricultural cooperatives and agricultural companies, in the following services:

1 - Support to Agricultural Cooperatives
2 - Agricultural extension
3 - Trainings
4 - Agriculture trade shows & exhibitions
5 - Local Market Information System (LMIS)
6 - Export Market Information System (EMIS)
 

1 - Support to Agricultural cooperatives

Helping and guiding Farmers Groups on the establishment of agricultural cooperatives through training courses about the function, the administration of law and the management support of the agricultural cooperatives.

The agricultural extension office offers all the necessary means to organize and support the agricultural cooperatives in Lebanon for a better use of their resources. We mention specifically the example of the cooperative of "Coteaux d'Heliopolis" in Aïnata and the " General Agricultural cooperative of Hermel", aiming to find substitution crops for the Hashish, and low water consumption cultures, assuring then, fair revenue for their members.

2 - Agricultural Extension:

In order to develop farmer capacities and increase Quality and Productivity, the agricultural extension office was established for:

• Launching new irrigation techniques,
• Organizing technical training sessions (diseases & insects control, pruning, post harvesting ...) and field trips.
• Helping to create typical groves and agricultural test fields.
• Inviting experts to ameliorate agricultural practices.
• Agricultural guidelines for farmers and agricultural cooperatives (disease, pests, cooling,  packaging,…)
• Guidelines for organic agriculture and how to get certification from competent companies.
• Guidelines for vegetable production inside greenhouses and hydroponics and how to improve production through intermediate agricultural operation.
• Preparation of reports and agricultural publications (treatment of diseases, organic agriculture, conservation agriculture, new varieties...). The following topics, were published so far, in the Journal of the chamber:

• Table grapes: Used varieties in Lebanon - diseases (chemical and organic control) - available methods to protect the vineyards from frost.
• Apple: Used varieties in Lebanon - diseases (chemical and organic control).
• Benefits of some vegetables and fruit.
• Agricultural pesticides.
• The importance of water and how to use it
• Potatoes: most important items, disease, pests and how to treat it.
• Trim trees
• Predatory plants
• Composts
• Locusts
• Organic agriculture

3 - Trainings

The agriculture extension office organizes different training sessions through our cooperation with different organizations and associations carrying out agricultural projects in the Bekaa region. We state for example:

- Quality Systems (ISO, HACCP, Global GAP, Organic, IPM...).
- Post-harvest and cooling systems.
- Cooperatives management.
- Norms and standards.
- Contracts for the marketing of agricultural products.
 

4 - Agriculture trade shows & exhibitions

The Agriculture extension office is organizing business trips to the most important international agricultural exhibitions and markets (Fruitlogistica, SIMA, SIA, Macfrut, Agrotica, Bel Expo, RUNGIS and NEW COVENT GARDEN wholesale markets), which contributes to the identification of new technologies in production, packaging and specific requirements for the importing countries.
 

5 – Prices of fresh fruits and vegetables in the Lebanese wholesale market and foreign markets:

Prices of fresh fruits and vegetables and collects (3 times per week) at Kab Elias market, than reports are prepared daily, weekly and monthly about the evolution of theses prices in the different Lebanese markets (north, south, Beirut and the bekaa).

Monthly reports are also published by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon on fruits and vegetables prices in the export markets:
- Rungis, France
- Hamburg, Germany
- New Covent Garden, United Kingdom
- Warsaw, Poland