Four agricultural labs coming up

To ensure compliance with global standards

The Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), will open four new labs in Fanar, Al Abdeh, Tyre, and Kfarshakhna (Zgharta). The official opening is scheduled for this August.

Michel Frem, President of the LARI, said: “The new labs are highly-advanced and are equipped with machines that give more accurate results.” The labs offer testing services for agricultural produce and provide a wide range of other tests for soil and water quality, as well as the presence of chemical pesticides. These tests will verify the national produce’s compliance with global specifications and best agricultural practices.

The LARI already operates 120 labs across the country. Frem said: “The purpose behind opening new labs is to satisfy growing demand from farmers in all regions, and to impose better control on the national agricultural produce.”

The LARI’s expansion over the past two years has created some 300 jobs. Frem said: “We have 80 open vacancies for managers. Interested candidates should be specialized in laboratory work or agricultural engineering.”

The new labs are self-funded, and are supported by the Ministry of Finance, as well as the European Union and the United Nations. “Funds from international organizations represent about 40 percent of the project’s funding,” said Frem. The cost of building each lab reached $500,000.
The LARI offers many other services to farmers, such as SMS notifications of weather forecast updates, agricultural diseases, and insects threats. Around 80,000 farmers benefit from these services free of charge.

Frem said: “Following up on the farmers’ work and controlling the usage of chemical pesticides has enhanced the quality of the produce, making it more compliant with international standards.” He said having fewer standards-related problems would facilitate the export of local agricultural produce to European markets.