Israel-Hezbollah war cost Lebanon agriculture $700 million
The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah caused more than $700 million in agricultural damage and losses, a report from the United Nations and Lebanese authorities said.
"The agriculture sector in Lebanon has incurred an estimated $118 million in damages and $586 million in losses," said the assessment by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization with Lebanon's agriculture ministry and the National Council for Scientific Research.
The most affected areas are south Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley, said the report, which covers the period from October 2023 to November 2024, adding that "the most affected subsector is crops, followed by livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture."
More than a million people were displaced during the war, with many farmers unable to tend to their lands or harvest crops in the affected areas.
The report said the agricultural sector needed an estimated $263 million "for reconstruction and recovery," with $95 million "prioritized" for this year and next.
"Immediate support is needed to restart farming, livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture activities," a statement said, alongside efforts to restore crops, livestock and agricultural infrastructure.
According to the report, olives were the most affected crop, with 814 hectares of olive groves burnt, $12 million in damage and $237 million in losses.
Other crops impacted include citrus, bananas, potatoes and other vegetables, and wheat and barley, noting $19 million in damage, and $28 million in losses to livestock, with poultry and beehives also affected.
Almost 5,000 hectares of pine forests were also damaged, the report said.
Last month, a World Bank report estimated Lebanon's reconstruction and recovery needs at $11 billion.
The report put the war's total economic cost at $14 billion, including $6.8 billion in damage to physical structures and $7.2 billion in economic losses from reduced productivity, forgone revenues and operating costs.
The Lebanese housing sector was the hardest hit, with losses estimated at $4.6 billion, while tourism lost $3.6 billion, it said.
