Sugar beet farmers get boost

Plan aims to replace cannabis growing

The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) kicked off a subsidy scheme for growing sugar beets. The MoA allocated $16 million to purchase sugar beets from local farmers at a subsidized price of $116/ton. To benefit from the subsidy, farmers should submit an application within 15 days.

The five-year subsidy plan, adopted in October last year, stipulated an annual budget of $16 million to promote the cultivation of sugar beets as an alternative to cannabis crops in Baalbeck, Hermel, and Akkar.

Said Al Mays, director of the cooperative of sugar beets, said the applications are necessary to help the MoA outline areas where sugar beets are planted and determine purchasing quantities from each farmer.

The cooperative of sugar beets will distribute seeds to the interested farmers. Al Mays said sugar beet farmers will start planting seeds as of March 10. The harvest season is in autumn.

The subsidy will be enough to purchase 138,000 tons of sugar beets.