BEIRUT, March 28 (Xinhua) -- About 46,479 hectares of Lebanon's agricultural land, or 22 percent of the country's total cultivated area, have been damaged by ongoing Israeli attacks, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a report released Saturday.
Most of the damage is concentrated in the South and Nabatieh governorates, two of Lebanon's main agricultural regions, where damaged areas have reached 44,297 hectares, compared with 2,181 hectares in other regions, according to the report.
Various types of agriculture have been affected, with fruit and olive trees, greenhouses, and small and medium-sized farms among the hardest hit.
A survey of 15,025 farmers in attack-affected areas shows that 76.6 percent of them are displaced. Experts have warned that such large-scale displacement will directly threaten the continuity of agricultural production and exacerbate food security risks.
The ministry announced a response plan focused on direct support for farmers, including protecting livestock production, ensuring the continuity of food supply chains, supporting markets, strengthening price monitoring, and enhancing coordination with relevant parties to continuously assess needs.
It also said it had implemented a series of urgent measures, including supporting 1,512 farmers, assisting about 2,000 families in shelters, and relocating 820 beehives to safe areas in cooperation with the Lebanese Army. ■
