High expectations for wheat production

Expected wheat production ranges between 600 and 800 kg per dunum

July 5, 2011- The wheat harvest season for 2011 seems promising in terms of both quality and quantity after a skimpy production last year, said a report published by An-Nahar daily on Tuesday (July 5).

The harvest season is expected to generate 800 kg of wheat per dunum in Middle and Western Bekaa and 600 kg per dunum in the Baalbek-Hermel area.

According to An-Nahar, the upcoming harvest season will see the implementation of the ‘Grain Cultivation Development Project’, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy and Trade. The plan includes, for the first time, a subsidy on barley cultivation in Baalbek-Hermel area along with a subsidy on the cultivation of wheat across all regions. The project extended the framework of the state’s support to include a subsidy on wheat and barley seeds, while it was previously limited to buying the wheat production from farmers at profitable rates.

The cultivated area of wheat and barley in Bekaa ranges between 120,000 and 130,000 dunums, the report said. It said the state is expected to receive between 60,000 and 65,000 tons of wheat this year, given that it had received 10,000 tons in 2010.