Growing more wheat

Ministry of Agriculture seeks budget share increase of more than $1.5 million

The Minister of Agriculture Hussein Hajj Hassan said that the ministry has raised the production of wheat crops from 700 to 1500 tons. He said that the ministry seeks to raise the production to 6500 tons of pure wheat grains. He said that the produce “will be delivered to competent farmers so that we could raise the local production to 300,000 tons per year.”

The minister said that Lebanon currently produces around 70,000 tons of wheat, while the local demand on the product amounts to 500,000 tons.

Hajj Hassan disclosed ongoing efforts to develop the grain cultivation sector. He said that the ministry plans to increase the share of the Agricultural Research Institute by around $670,000 in the 2012 budget. He also said that the ministry is seeking to allocate around one million dollars for supporting the cultivation of grains.

The minister also announced plans to build warehouses for the storage of wheat.