USAID funds cold storage facility in Ehmej

The United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded the program by Building Alliance for Local Advancement, Development, and Investment (BALADI) to build a fruit cold storage facility in Ehmej, Jbeil.

The project will be implemented by the René Moawad Foundation (RMF) and developed by the municipality and community of Ehmej.

More than 130 people working annually in apple farming in Ehmej and ten surrounding villages will benefit from the cold storage facility.

USAID has contributed $250,000 to establish the cold storage facility that has the capacity to store 36,000 fruit crates. It will allow farmers to store their harvests and obtain better off-season prices.

The BALADI project will also provide the farmers with training in cold storage planning, sorting, grading, packing, and other post-harvest techniques for apples and fruits.

The five-year USAID-funded BALADI project supports 17 municipal-led development activities that will benefit and improve the livelihoods of more than 100,000 people by the end of the program in 2017.