The World Food Programme’s country director in Lebanon has warned of a food crisis facing the country. Matthew Hollingworth said he was extraordinarily concerned about Lebanon’s ability “to feed itself” amid the destruction of agriculture and food production.
Hollingworth said 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) of agricultural land have been burned in the south of the country, while 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of farmland – in one of the most productive areas of Lebanon – have been abandoned.
The crisis has heavily affected 46,000 Lebanese farmers and there will be no olive harvest in the south of the country – and the same for bananas and citrus fruit. Vegetables will “rot in fields”, he added, in a video address released on social media.
“Diplomatic political solutions must be found,” he said, adding that Lebanon is “already on its knees” and “cannot cope with an extended period of crisis such as we’re facing right now”.
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