Saudis reverse course on Lebanese potatoes

As the crisis with Saudi Arabia over potato exports came to an end on August 7, deputy speaker Elias Ferzli slammed Saudi Arabia authorities for allowing the beating and oppression of Lebanese traders at the country’s borders.

Ferzli asked the Saudi and Lebanese governments about the meaning of the treatment.

Ferzli said that Saudi Arabia should not view Lebanese calls for economic or other types of assistance as begging.

Approximately 600 tons of potatoes were rejected earlier this week on the pretext of improper packaging, before agriculture Minister Shawki Fakhouri engineered a solution to the crisis.

Saudi Arabia will allow the entry of Lebanese produce on an exceptional basis, even if it does not conform to specifications.

The Union of Bekaa Farmers and the Potato’s Cultivators’ Union thanked Fakhouri and Lebanese president for their efforts in ending the crisis.

Elsewhere, the southern farmers' association called on the customs authorities to stop smuggled bananas and citrus fruits entering over the Syrian border.