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Conflict Incident Report
North Lebanon potato farmers protest imports
BEIRUT: Farmers in north Lebanon protested potato imports, arguing that it helped worsen their situation.
The farmers in the town of Halba in the northern district of Akkar urged Agriculture Minister Ghazi Zeaiter to ban the importation of Egyptian potatoes, the National News Agency reported.
The protesters complained that the Egyptian imports that don't meet the applied standards have been "randomly" entering Lebanon.
They called on the government to find markets to dispose of their products, estimated to reach around 60,000 tons, locally and in foreign markets.
The farmers warned that their "tragic situation has accumulated debt to agricultural pharmacies and landowners."
The Cooperative Association for Potato Growers head Omar al-Hayek, warned against any delay in "organizing the imports and providing markets for local farmers to dispose their products."
"We will be heading towards a disaster," he added.