Lebanon reportedly wants to supply millions of apples to Libya via a new shipping route, as trade relations between the two countries improve.
According to Libya Herald, apple exports were among the topics discussed by Lebanon’s Prime Minster Najib Miqati and Libyan President Mohammed Magarief on the fringes of a recent UN General Assembly meeting.
This followed agreements reached on Lebanese apple exports to Libyan, Egyptian and Iraqi markets at an earlier September meeting in Beirut.
Ahmad Alsheikhi, representing Libyan importers, said:
“Transportation was a major barrier but we recently managed to overcome it, after the direct route between Beirut and Benghazi, which has three to four trips a month, was opened.”
Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper reported that the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Hajj Hasan, said the government was keen to tap into the Libyan and Iraqi markets following success in Egypt, currently the largest importer of Lebanese apples.
Discussions to boost trade between Libya and Lebanon have been underway for several months, leading Lebanese economy minister, Nicolas Nahas, to suggest that “Lebanon and Libya are destined for economic integration.”
He predicted that the unprecedented economic growth anticipated in Libya “promises bright opportunities for Lebanese companies.”
(Source: Libya Herald)
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