New Lebanese Agriculture Minister Vows To Restore Ties With Syria, Boost Export

The newly-appointed Lebanese agriculture minister said on Friday that his first priority is to restore good ties with Syria in a bid to facilitate the export of Lebanese products to other Arab countries

BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2020 ) :The newly-appointed Lebanese agriculture minister said on Friday that his first priority is to restore good ties with Syria in a bid to facilitate the export of Lebanese products to other Arab countries.

"After the government gets a vote of confidence, I will be visiting Syria to build good ties with the neighboring country and facilitate the export of our produce to the rest of the Arab countries while asking the Syrian government to reduce fees for exporting through its territories," Abbas Mortada was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.

He also vowed to take steps that aim at helping Lebanese farmers improve and export their produce while opening new markets to increase job opportunities.

In the past few years, the Lebanese agriculture sector has been suffering from the war in neighboring Syria that disrupted the land export route through the country for Lebanese farmers who have to pay much higher fees to export their produce by sea.

The Lebanese sector has also suffered from neglect by the government which failed to offer the needed support for farmers.