Tobacco farming, a cornerstone of southern Lebanese life for over a century, is facing its most severe crisis following last year’s Israeli attacks. Production has plunged 64%, from 5 million kg to 1.8 million kg, leaving thousands of farmers unable to access lands now under Israeli control or contaminated by unexploded ordnance, according to Engineer Abdul Mawla al-Mawla, director of Lebanon’s Tobacco Administration, the Régie.
In Aytaroun, the south’s largest tobacco hub, only 840 of 1,700 families returned to cultivate. “How can I plant while [Israeli] planes fly over my head daily?” Fatima Awada, whose family lost access to 2.5 acres under Israeli control, asked. Others have rented land elsewhere, but rising costs, damaged equipment, and toxic contamination have drastically reduced profits. The Régie increased the state-guaranteed purchase price for 2025 to between $8.50 and $10 per kilogram to help farmers cope, and also provided in-kind support such as pesticides, gloves, and school grants.
Hassan Faqih, president of the Tobacco Unions Federation, called for greater government support and inclusion of farmers in Lebanon’s National Social Security Fund, noting that agriculture is “the first guarantee for people to remain on their land away from displacement.”