NNA - In an interview with Radio Lebanon on Saturday, Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani expressed his hope that "we will have a governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon before the end of the month," and that "the remaining appointments will be completed, leading to the restructuring of ministries and the public sector."

"We have begun working in our ministries to increase efficiency," he added.

Hani indicated that he is working to fill the vacancies at the Ministry of Agriculture, including positions in the second and third categories, according to the mechanism to be followed by the Council of Ministers.

At the level of exporting Lebanese produce, he said: "The agreements to be concluded with Saudi Arabia, which pertain to the agricultural sector, are already in place and have been updated. They include the exchange of agricultural crops, opening of the Saudi market to Lebanese products, cooperation in the fields of afforestation and forest protection, regulation of wholesale markets, and high standards for agricultural crops that Lebanon has adopted to open all markets to its agricultural exports."

He added: "Lebanese agricultural exports were affected by the events in Syria, but now things are on the path to a solution, and our goods pass through Syria to Jordan and Iraq. We have begun communicating with the ministers of agriculture and will sign a four-party agreement between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq to review the agricultural calendar and needs, as well as cooperation with the Egyptian side, especially on the subject of potato exports, and the Jordanian side is interested in importing meat from Lebanon."

"We will visit Syria and all countries for Lebanon, working to increase our agricultural crops and exports," maintained Hani. 

He added: "Starting next week, field teams from the Ministry of Agriculture, consisting of approximately 80 persons, will inspect the 350 villages affected by the Israeli aggression to confirm existing information about the damage. We will support farmers through ready-made, externally funded programs to salvage the agricultural season, with the hope of receiving sufficient funding later to restore infrastructure, irrigation networks, and other facilities."

The Agriculture Minister concluded: "Next Thursday, we will launch, in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, the official national guidance program to advise, guide, and assist farmers in facing challenges. We will also develop methods for adapting to climate change."

========R.Sh.