Lebanese Agricultural Crops

Categories of Lebanese crops:

Lebanon produces crops that can be divided into five main groups: cereals, fruits, olives, industrial crops (such as sugar beet and tobacco), and vegetables. Fruit and olive orchards constitute 45% of the total agricultural land, and they have increased by about 230,000 square kilometres in the past ten years. The area of land built for olive cultivation has also increased in the country.

Characteristics of the weather in Lebanon:

Lebanon’s mild weather, rich soil, and abundant water resources are among the main factors that enable it to emerge as an ideal destination for agricultural activity in the region. The rate of rainfall in the country is relatively abundant, reaching 2.2 billion cubic meters annually, which is much higher than the average in the region. This makes Lebanon rich in major rivers and water resources that distinguish it from the rest of the countries in the Middle East.

The most prominent areas in terms of crops, meadows, and pastures are the Bekaa Valley (where the cultivated area exceeds 40% of the land) and northern Lebanon, especially the regions of Koura and Akkar, and the south, especially the coastal region from Sidon to Tyre, where intensive cultivation is also carried out inside greenhouses.

Mount Lebanon and Nabatiyeh are considered two important agricultural areas, despite the fact that the cultivated land in them is lower than the rest of the governorates, due to the rugged nature of the land.

Facts & Figures:

The agricultural sector constitutes about 3.5% of the GDP in Lebanon.
The sector employs approximately 6% of the Lebanese workforce and is the fifth largest sector in terms of employment in the country.
Fruits (apples, lemons, bananas, and grapes, in addition to olives) account for 31% of total agricultural production, while vegetables (such as potatoes, tomatoes, and corn) account for 63% of overall production.
In terms of vegetable output, potatoes account for the lion’s share, accounting for 25% of total volume, followed by tomatoes (20%), cucumbers (11%), and lemons (5%).
Arab countries continue to be the main export market. Lebanon’s agricultural products, as they attracted 96.2% of total agricultural exports in 2016, and five major Arab countries account for about 68.4% of total exports, namely Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Syria.

Competitive Features:

Lebanon has the highest percentage of agricultural land in the Middle East, as it covers about 65% of the Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s mild weather, rich soil and abundant water resources are all major factors that make it an ideal spot for agricultural activity in the region.
The mild weather allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops that usually grow in cool and tropical countries.
Institutional support for the sector The government, through IDAL, provides financial and technical support to exporters with the aim of increasing the quantities exported and providing them with opportunities to enter new markets.