Exclusive to The Beiruter: Minister Nizar Hanna on the Agricultural Prescription System

In an exclusive interview with The Beiruter, Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture, Nizar Hanna, has revealed new details about the ministry’s plan to regulate the sale and use of agricultural pesticides through the long-delayed “Agricultural Prescription System”.

The minister depicts the initiative, which aims to track and document every pesticide transaction between importers, retailers, and farmers, is now set to be rolled out in two phases starting early next year. “The agricultural prescription is a vital step, not just a technical reform,” Hanna told The Beiruter.

It protects legal pesticide sellers as much as it protects farmers, consumers, water, and soil. It’s a national and human necessity.

From farm to fork

According to Hanna, the new system will introduce a formal documentation process that has been missing from Lebanon’s agricultural market for decades. Currently, most agrochemical sales are made informally, often without technical supervision.

“The idea is similar to how pharmacies operate,” he explained. “Pesticides can have a wide impact, on soil, water, and public health. So, each sale must be documented by a qualified agricultural engineer or technician who diagnoses the problem on-site and issues an official prescription.”

The ministry, in collaboration with the Order of Engineers, has already begun training sessions for agricultural engineers working in pesticide companies and retail shops. The prescriptions will become part of a broader traceability program that tracks the entire agricultural cycle, “from farm to fork,” as Hanna put it, ensuring that every product reaching the market can be traced back to its origin and treatment history.

Two-phase rollout amid industry pushbacks

Retail shop owners have voiced reservations about the plan, citing the sector’s fragile state and the high costs of hiring additional engineers. Many argue that the system is not yet implemented in neighboring countries, and that Lebanon’s market, already flooded with illegal imports, is ill-equipped for such a shift. Doubts also arise about the ministry’s ability to efficiently and thoroughly execute the plan.

Hanna acknowledged these concerns but insisted the reform would proceed gradually. “It’s not easy, and I fully understand the challenges,” he said. “That’s why we divided it into two phases. The first will focus on documentation, registering every pesticide sale at the shop level. The second will move toward requiring prescriptions issued only by trained professionals.”

He added that enforcement is already tightening: “We’ve increased inspections and confiscated over 35 tons of unlicensed or expired agricultural chemicals in recent months. The goal isn’t to punish, but to protect the market and everyone involved.”

A step toward organized agriculture

The ministry is also working to expand product testing to include local produce, alongside imported goods that already undergo strict residue checks. Hanna said the ultimate goal is an integrated traceability system linked to the national farmer registry, which currently includes about 55,000 farmers, to create a unified support and monitoring mechanism for every production sector.

“We’re building the foundations of an organized, transparent agricultural economy,” the minister said.

Lebanon’s agriculture and industry are two pillars of the national economy. Both must grow together, and cleanly.

As Lebanon’s agricultural markets struggle with smuggling, counterfeit products, and limited oversight, the ministry’s prescription plan could mark a turning point, if successfully implemented. For now, Minister Nizar Hanna insists: “At the end of the day, this can’t be done by the ministry alone. It needs cooperation among everyone, the Order of Engineers, pesticide importers, shop owners, and the ministry”.