Lebanese Prez urges FAO to help export agricultural products

Beirut, July 19 Lebanese President Michel Aoun has urged the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to help promote and export Lebanon's agricultural products to mitigate the impact of the country's deep financial crisis.

Aoun made the remarks on Monday in a meeting at Baabda Palace with Nora Ourabah Haddad, the newly appointed FAO Representative in Lebanon, to discuss cooperation between Lebanon and FAO, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Lebanon attaches great importance to the agricultural sector because it is an essential part of the productive economy. We were dependent for years on the rentier economy, this must change today considering that the land is the most important thing for man, and that stability in life comes from the land," the President was quoted as saying in a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency.

Ourabah emphasised the need to formulate an emergency plan to support the country in achieving food security while focusing on increasing the country's production, especially wheat, which could generate a high return for the country.

Aoun and Ourabah also discussed the management of Lebanon's natural resources in order to ensure food security and the sustainability of the country's food system.

After an unprecedented financial crisis hit Lebanon, the President encouraged the expansion of several sectors, including manufacturing and agriculture, in a bid to increase the country's revenue.