Proposed Strategic Guidelines for the ART GOLD Lebanon Programme (January 2008) Annex 2 The Focus Groups (updated 31/10/2007) The Focus Groups - 1 Index Bekaa Nr. Date Topic Page 001 10/09/2007 Competitiveness of Vegetable Preservers of Bekaa 3 002 10/09/2007 Competitiveness of Agriculture in Bekaa 6 003 10/09/2007 Wine as a strategic resource in Bekaa 8 004 11/09/2007 Competitiveness of Dairy Productions in Bekaa 10 005 11/09/2007 Competitiveness of Industry and Handicrafts in Bekaa 13 006 11/09/2007 Competitiveness of Olive Mills in Bekaa 15 007 21/09/2007 Competitiveness of Breeding Activities in Bekaa 16 008 21/09/2007 Honey and Molasses as competitive resources of Bekaa 18 Dahyeh (BSS) Nr. Date Topic Page 001 03/09/2007 A LED Strategy for Dahyeh 21 002 06/09/2007 Competitive potential of Industries and Handicrafts in Dahyeh 24 003 07/09/2007 Competitive potential of Trade Sector in Dahyeh 27 North Lebanon Nr. Date Topic Page 001 25/09/2007 Competitive resources for Agriculture in Donniyeh 29 002 26/09/2007 Biodiversity as a competitive resource for Akkar 32 003 26/09/2007 Competitive resources for Agriculture in Donniyeh 35 South Lebanon Nr. Date Topic Page 001 13/09/2007 Competitiveness of Agriculture in South Lebanon 39 002 14/09/2007 Competitiveness of Tourism in South Lebanon 42 003 14/09/2007 Competitiveness of Industry in South Lebanon 44 004 01/10/2007 Competitive Agriculture Value Chains in South Lebanon 46 005 02/10/2007 Competitiveness of Breeding in South Lebanon 49 006 02/10/2007 Competitiveness of Beekeeping in South Lebanon 51 007 02/10/2007 Competitiveness of Fishing and Fish Breeding in South Lebanon 53 The Focus Groups - 2 Focus Group Report Research – Action: UNDP ART GOLD Lebanon – Bekaa Thematic Areas Sectors: Economical Secondary (Vegetable Preserves) Social Representation (Promotion of Female Job, Productive Sector) Place: FG nr. date from to Lebanese University (LU) – ISAE of Ghazeh 001 10/09/2007 10,00 11,30 Topic Competitiveness of vegetable preserves of Bekaa Name Organisation Position Co-ordinator Giancarlo Canzanelli UNDP ART ISLED LED Chief Consultant Gabriele Di Stefano UNDP ART ISLED LED Senior Consultant Assistants Abdelghani Ladkani UNDP ART GOLD Lebanon Area LED Consultant Tilda El Sayegh UNDP Bekaa Hub Reporting Officer Sugar Beet Farmers Union/ The 1 Mohamad Al Farro National Union of the Lebanese General Secretary Farmers Women Association for Social 2 Zeinab Asaad President of Coop Development Women Cooperative Association 3 Lina Bahmad President of Coop for food production-Wadi El Taim Women Cooperative Association 4 Ibtissam Barakat Member of Coop for food production-Wadi El Taim Agricultural Cooperative for Agro- 5 Malaki Fayek President of Coop Food Processing Handicraft Cooperative 6 Joumana Karam Member of Coop Association Handicraft Cooperative 7 Josephine Neaim President of Coop Association 1. Focus Group’s goal Resources for Competitiveness and Strategies By listening to Local Actors who attended, the Focus Group is aimed at - identifying resources to make the Sector of vegetable preserves competitive in Bekaa, - outlining shared strategic development avenues, based on sustainable fruition of those resources. 2. The debate The kinds of products The participants listed the products of the Sector, and these are shown in the following table. The Focus Groups - 3 Products Fruit and Vegetables juice jam sauce dried molasses fructose apple x x - - - - apricot - x - x - - blackberry x x - - x x carrot - x - - - - cherry x x - - - - eggplant - x - - - - fig and dried fig - x - x - - grape x x - - - - orange x x - - - - pomegranate x - - - - - pumpkin x x - - - - raspberry - x - - - - strawberry x x - - - - tomato x x x x - - wild soft fruit - x - - - - Vegetables are also used to produce • pickles, • ready dishes, for example antipastos. The products made from pumpkins (juice and jam), wild soft fruit (jam) and also the “mallow”, a kind of jelly, jam-like product made from the mallow plant (Althaea Officinalis) are considered as specialities. Some kinds of preserves can be produced without using gluten, for people affected by celiac disease. The processes All raw materials are bought, and are not necessarily of local production. The berries (wild soft fruit, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry) are picked by hand. A range of organic production, according to the ISO rules, exists in Bekaa. Vegetables can just be preserved to be cooked, or ready to be eaten. In some cases, vegetables are steam-cooked. Quality Quality control is carried out by the factories themselves: • by checking, according to the experience, raw materials at the start of the process, • by evaluating organoleptic properties, at the end of the process. All products are packaged in glass jars. According to various analyses carried out by University institutes, the products can be considered good, safe and healthy. Relational capital In Bekaa some Associations of Fruit and Vegetable preserves producers do exist, accomplishing their role by giving assistance and support to associated producers. The market The market is local. In certain periods, some products can be sold in Beirut. The demand of products made from pumpkins, apricot, wild soft fruit is increasing. The Focus Groups - 4 To successfully introduce new products on the market, much effort and time are needed. All the products are generally sold. 3. Final considerations The opportunity of an accessible market To use the very important opportunity of the availability of an accessible local market, the following requirements should be met: • adequate machinery, in order to increase the quantity of product, • refrigerators for fresh raw materials, the lack of which prevents effective planning and timing of the activity of the preservers, • a more effective transportation system. The Focus Groups - 5 Focus Group Report Research – Action: UNDP ART GOLD Lebanon – Bekaa Thematic Areas: Sectors: Admin. – Inst. Municipalities – Chamber of C.I.A. Economical Primary (Agriculture, first approach) Place: FG nr. date from to Lebanese University (LU) - ISAE of Ghazeh 002 10/09/2007 11:30 12:30 Topic Competitiveness of Agriculture in Bekaa Name Organisation Position Co-ordinator Giancarlo Canzanelli UNDP ART ISLED LED Chief Consultant Gabriele Di Stefano UNDP ART ISLED LED Senior Consultant Assistants Abdelghani Ladkani UNDP ART GOLD Lebanon Area LED Consultant Tilda El Sayegh UNDP Bekaa Hub Reporting Officer 1 Gilbert Abou Monsef Ain Zebdeh Municipality Member 2 Rafik Al Halabi Agricultural Cooperative of Bakifa Member 3 Nabih Ghanem - Agricultural Expert 4 Nawaf Hijaz Agricultural Cooperative of Bakifa President Chamber of Commerce Industry 5 Kamil Hobeika Member and Agriculture of Zahle (CCIAZ) Chamber of Commerce Industry 6 Said Jedoun Member and Agriculture of Zahle (CCIAZ) 7 Kamal Seikaly Winery Owner 8 Melhem Zarzour Kherbit Kanafar Municipality President 1. Focus Group’s goal Resources for Competitiveness and Strategies By listening to Local Actors who attended, the Focus Group is aimed at - identifying resources to make agricultural activities competitive in Bekaa, - outlining shared strategic development avenues, based on sustainable fruition of those resources. 2. The debate The kinds of products Local participants represented the sectors of: • olive production, • grape production. The olive The only information collected from participants about the Olive Sector was with regard to the harvest. Olive picking is, like almost everywhere else in Lebanon, very late, starting in late October. Olives are picked by hand. The grapes Production in the area is substantially differentiated: in the qadaa of West Bekaa wine grapes are produced, while in Rashaya the cultivation of table grapes is carried out. Listening to the participants, it seems that all grape production (of both kinds) is aimed at satisfying the demands of western markets. • Table grapes The Focus Groups - 6 With regard to table grapes, the production of exogenous seedless varieties is now widespread. Also other varieties produced in the Area are not endogenous. Those varieties have been chosen for some time now because of their good organoleptic properties: good taste, appealing colours (from dark pink to reddish), and the large size of the grape. There are plants at very high altitudes, up to 1,200 metres, planted there to take advantage of the of low humidity environment. The entire production is sold, mostly abroad. • Wine grapes Also the various varieties of wine grapes are not originally Lebanese. According to the participants, a substantial presence of international grapevine varieties, like Cabernet and Chardonnay, can be found in the Area. With regard to table grapes, the production of exogenous seedless varieties is now widespread. Also other varieties produced in the Area are not endogenous. Those varieties have been chosen for some time now because of their good organoleptic properties: good taste, appealing colours (from dark pink to reddish), and the large size of the grape. There are plants at very high altitudes, up to 1,200 metres, planted there to take advantage of the of low humidity environment. 3. Final considerations Differentiated productions The participants did not seem to appreciate ideas or proposals regarding differentiating production, nor, for instance, “coming back to the past” by re-introducing characteristic old, or even endogenous varieties of grapes. They rather showed an interest in introducing new exogenous kinds of grapevines. Regarding new crops, experimental introduction