- Title: Lebanese watermelon farm offers seasonal work to Syrian refugees
- Date: 20th July 2017
- Summary: WAZZANI, LEBANON (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SEASONAL WORKERS HARVESTING WATERMELONS VARIOUS OF WORKERS CARRYING WATERMELONS TO PICK UP TRUCK WORKERS STANDING IN FARM / WATERMELON IN FOREGROUND PICK UP TRUCK FULL OF WATERMELONS DRIVING FROM FARM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FARMER, DANI BOU RAHHAL, SAYING: "We have Syrian workers all year round, for 12 months, 250 to 300 who are here with us every day. During watermelon picking season the number increases to 500 workers every day." VARIOUS OF WORKERS HARVESTING WATERMELONS FEMALE WORKER SORTING WATERMELONS INTO CRATES MALE WORKERS RIDING ON TOP OF PICK UP TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FARMER, DANI BOU RAHHAL, SAYING: "At the beginning of each season, if the government protects us from imported watermelon and fills the market, our crop can satisfy the whole Lebanese market, from the south to the north. The price starts at a very good level, but it decreases bit by bit depending on the local market. All farmers now are planting watermelon, so the price decreases gradually until the end of the season." VARIOUS OF WORKERS IN FIELD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN WORKER AT WATERMELON FARM, NAWWAF FARHOUD, SAYING: "It costs a lot (watermelon harvesting) and it's not breaking even with the cost, the price is very low, the market is weak. Workers' fees are high, fuel and fertilizers are also expensive." WORKERS PACKING WATERMELONS ON BACK OF TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN WORKER AT WATERMELON FARM, NAWWAF FARHOUD, SAYING: "We start the harvest process on May 15 and we stay for about four months or three and a half months until the watermelon season ends." TRUCK DRIVING PAST PILE OF WATERMELONS FEMALE WORKERS CARRYING WATERMELONS VARIOUS OF WORKERS PACKING WATERMELONS ON BACK OF TRUCK TRUCK AND WORKERS IN FIELD
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 10:19
- Keywords: Syrian refugees watermelon farm fruit pickers fruit farmer seasonal work Lebanese agriculture Syrian war watermelon harvest
- Location: WAZZANI, LEBANON
- City: WAZZANI, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QIRN85
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Farmer Dani Bou Rahhal harvests watermelons every year at his fruit and vegetable farm in a small village in southern Lebanon.
And the farm provides much-needed seasonal work for Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.
At his farm in Wazzani, near the border with Israel, Bou Rahhal employs Syrian workers throughout the year, but the number increases substantially during harvest season, which usually starts in June each year.
"We have Syrian workers all year round, for 12 months, 250 to 300 who are here with us every day. During watermelon picking season the number increases to 500 workers every day," he said.
Bou Rahhal also grows other fruit and vegetables but his main income is from watermelon.
He said that the farm's profits depend heavily on government restrictions placed on imported fruit from countries like Egypt and Jordan, which in turn affects the price of local produce.
"At the beginning of each season, if the government protects us from imported watermelon and fills the market, our crop can satisfy the whole Lebanese market, from the south to the north. The price starts at a very good level, but it decreases bit by bit depending on the local market. All farmers now are planting watermelon, so the price decreases gradually until the end of the season," he said.
According to one farm worker from Syria, watermelon harvesting is expensive due to the number of workers needed and the costs involved, making it difficult for farms to turn a profit.
"It costs a lot (watermelon harvesting) and it's not breaking even with the cost, the price is very low, the market is weak. Workers' fees are high, fuel and fertilizers are also expensive," said Nawwaf Farhoud, who works at the watermelon farm.
But the farm still provides extra work for seasonal workers for up to four months each year, added Farhoud.
Workers spend all day out on the fields picking the fruit and packing them into crates and trucks.
"We start the harvest process on May 15 and we stay for about four months or three and a half months until the watermelon season ends," he said.
Lebanon hosts more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, a quarter of its population, putting a huge strain on the country's infrastructure and communities.
Many have no legal right to work and families are forced to find other ways to pay for food and shelter.
Farms like Bou Rahhal's go some way to helping refugees make ends meet and provide for their families. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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