In order to protect the local market, on Wednesday 20 April, fruit and vegetable farmers in north Lebanon called on the government to ban all produce imports from Syria.
The National News Agency said a delegation of the farmers held a brief protest on a highway linking Syria to Lebanon before visiting two border crossings to meet with Customs officials.
Hussein Rifai, the head of a potato farmer co-op, told the officials of the need to stop any trucks loaded with vegetables from Syria to Lebanon at the two checkpoints.
He said he had received assurances from Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb that starting Monday, no such produce will be allowed into Lebanon from the border crossings, or the Tripoli sea port.
Rifai added that the farmers hoped to meet with the military commander to seek his help in preventing the entry of produce through Lebanon's land crossings.
