When receiving the US Ambassador to Beirut, Lisa Johnson, the Lebanese minister described the agricultural strategy aimed at boosting production and improving quality.

Hani also stressed the urgency of rehabilitating land damaged by the Israeli aggression and expanding farmer support programs to boost sustainable development.

For her part, Ambassador Johnson highlighted the sector’s role in food security, particularly in essential crops, and praised the ministry’s efforts.

She also confirmed that USAID programs in Lebanon are largely suspended and there is currently no direct US support available for development, including agriculture.

Official data revealed in early February that nearly 37,000 farmers reported losses in Lebanon due to Israeli aggression, with 80 percent of the agricultural damage being in the south.

The report, approved by the government in coordination with UN agencies, cooperatives, institutions, municipalities and the army, indicated that some of the vast farmlands destroyed need years to recover as a consequence of the use of prohibited weapons and require extensive decontamination. A World Bank report last November estimated the damage at $124 million between September 27 and mid-October 2024, but the Ministry of Agriculture believes the actual figure is significantly higher, although it is difficult to quantify precisely at this stage.

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