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SECTOR ANALYSIS

AGRICULTURE

Only one-third of Lebanon’s land is cultivable, and the primary agricultural areas are along the Mediterranean coast and the Bekaa Valley. For many years, Lebanon has been an exporter of fruit and vegetables to other Arab states such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Other prominent crops include olives, cane and beet sugar, potatoes, wheat, tobacco, and barley. The civil war disrupted agricultural production, and the Israeli invasions had a devastating effect on cultivation, particularly in the south and the Bekaa Valley. In 1996, overproduction of tobacco flooded the market and pushed prices down, and the government placed restrictions on its production.

In recent years, the agricultural export sub-sector has performed well, due to the depreciation of the Lebanese pound, and has accounted for approximately 20 percent of total exports.

* Land under permanent crops: 12.5% of land area

* Irrigated land : 36%

* Arable land : 0.04 hectar per capita