October 11, 2026
In a step aimed at alleviating the burdens on livestock breeders and supporting the continuity of animal production in the Chouf region, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Malta Lebanon Organization launched a new phase of support that includes distributing 100 tons of feed to 228 breeders who are most affected by the current crises and pressures of displacement.
The announcement of this initiative came during a development meeting hosted by Souq Al-Jabal, sponsored and attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Nizar Hani, and organized under the coordination of the Director of the Humanitarian Agricultural Project at the Malta-Lebanon Organization, Engineer Adel Ghandour. The meeting was also attended by the organization’s Executive Director, Lilia El Khazen Mallat, President of the Union of Chouf Souijani Municipalities, along with a number of local figures, livestock breeders, and those concerned with the agricultural sector.
This initiative is implemented in partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Malta-Lebanon Organization, and with funding from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs through its Crisis and Support Center, in an effort to help breeders secure the necessary fodder to maintain their herds and ensure continued production.
The meeting began with a lecture presented by Dr. Yahya Khattar, in which he discussed the importance of vaccinating herds and adhering to prevention programs to limit the spread of diseases, ensuring the protection of animal health and the sustainability of production.
In his speech, Minister Nizar Hani praised the steadfastness of livestock breeders in the face of economic and social crises and hardship, stressing their vital role in protecting local production. He called on breeders to organize their efforts through cooperative work, directing the Ministry’s team to accompany the establishment of a new cooperative for livestock breeders in the region, in response to the initiative of a number of them to hold a preparatory meeting for this purpose. He also praised the existing partnership with the Malta Lebanon Organization, and thanked the administration of Souk Al-Jabal and the Union of Chouf Al-Suwaijani Municipalities for their fruitful cooperation with the Agricultural Center in Deir Al-Qamar and the Ministry’s team for implementing the initiative.
For her part, the Executive Director of the Malta Lebanon Organization, Lilia El Khazen Mallat, confirmed that the initiative comes as a continuation of the organization’s efforts to support rural communities in the Chouf, in parallel with the ongoing preparations to open a new humanitarian agricultural center in the region. She explained that the organization had previously distributed, through its humanitarian agricultural centers in Kafr Falos and Ain Ebel, 388 tons of specialized feed and agricultural supplies, bringing the total volume of support, with the launch of this third initiative, to about 490 tons.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Hani and the Malta Lebanon Organization team delivered feed vouchers to breeders, marking the start of the field distribution process in the Chouf.
This step falls within the scope of the work of the network of six humanitarian agricultural centers affiliated with the Malta Lebanon Organization, which works in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and local and international partners to support the livestock sector and enhance the continuity of production in various rural areas.
