This season, my family made a painful decision: we are uprooting 80,000 m² of productive apple orchards. Here’s why, and what needs to change:

Apple production in Northern Bekaa, especially in Labweh and the surrounding villages, is estimated at over half a million cases (22 kg each). The harvest starts in the third week of July with early varieties such as Early Gold, followed by Gala. Golden Delicious and Starking are harvested from late August to mid-September, and Granny Smith at the end of September. This year, the favorable weather and rainfall gave us a better crop, yet prices collapsed. Early varieties sold for USD 7–8 per case, while Golden Delicious and Starking averaged around USD 3 per case, roughly 14 cents per kg. At that price, farmers cannot even cover their production costs.
Every year, the conversation about supporting apple farmers starts when the apple harvest in our mountain areas begins around end of September and practically all Northern Beqaa harvest is nearly concluded. We organize festivals and sales campaigns, but by then it’s too late. Market access must be prepared well before the fruit is ready to harvest, through early production forecasting, cooperation planning, and securing export quotas with neighboring countries. Allocating USD 1 million to reduce container costs does not put money in farmers’ pockets. How is a farmer supposed to survive? And why, in 2026, are we still not using a digital farm platform that connects farmers with each other and with markets? Such a platform could guide production according to GAP and sustainable practices and keep updated data from every plot. Ministries and relevant authorities could then plan each crop and decide what to export, and when. Without data and early planning, we will keep having the same conversation every September, while more orchards disappear. What would it take to make this happen in Lebanon? I’d welcome your thoughts.

#Agriculture#Lebanon#FoodSecurity#SupplyChain#AgTech#Apples#Farmers#Bekaa#SustainableAgriculture
Nadia Haidar, Rana Haidar
Nizar Hani Ph.D,
Ardi Ardak
Terre Verte
Georges N. Frem Foundation (GNFF)
Environment and Sustainable Development Unit
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences – AUB
AGRIVI

picture from H Farmlands where apple plots are being removed