Export Programs - Lebanon Exports

Agriculture and Agri-Food

IDAL has been running one of the largest government-funded export support programs since 2012 focused on the Agriculture and Agri-Food sectors, called the Agri Plus Program. Under this program, IDAL supports Lebanese exporters in the marketing of their fresh fruits and vegetables and selected agri-food products in regional and international markets in addition to providing them with direct financial support to help them increase their exports in new and existing markets.

Manufacturing

Between 2015 and 2018, IDAL was running another export program called Maritime Bridge Export program (M.leb) to support Lebanese exporters of agriculture and industrial products access the neighboring Arabian Gulf markets when the land borders with Syria were closed. The program focused on providing financial support to compensate for the increased transportation and logistics costs for Lebanese exporters.

ICT and Technology

IDAL also has been supporting companies in the Information Technology (IT) and Technology sectors accessing international markets since 2011, by supporting their participation in major international fairs and conferences. The support to this sector also included start-ups in the Tech sector.

Media and Film Industry

IDAL also provides important support to the media and film industry in Lebanon. In 2014, IDAL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fondation Liban Cinema which has enabled us to support various film producers and filmmakers through their participation in major film festivals to showcase Lebanese talent and creativity.

The Agri-Plus Program was put in place since 2012 to support Lebanese Agriculture and Agri-food exporters in the marketing of their products in regional and international markets.

Main Beneficiaries Of The Program

Fruits and Vegetables Exporters

Olive Oil Exporters

Honey Exporters

Eggs Exporters

Flowers and Plants Exporters

Cooperatives

Components

Financial Support: IDAL provides financial support to Lebanese exporters of agriculture and Agri-food exporters to support their access to new markets.

Trainings and Workshops: In addition to the financial support, as part of the program and in partnership with international quality inspection companies, IDAL provides Lebanese exporters with the adequate training to improve quality of packaging and labelling and foster the growth of new products that meet regional and international demand.

Technical Assistance: IDAL also works with the packaging and cooling centers in Lebanon to support them to meet international norms of quality. In fact, since 2012, IDAL supported more than 10 packaging and cooling centers in acquiring the ISO and HACCP certificate.

Marketing and Promotion: Finally, through the Agri-plus program, IDAL works on promoting the sector regionally and internationally by providing the needed technical support for exporters to participate in International food fairs and exhibitions.

Annual Reports

IDAL publishes on a regular basis annual reports regarding the Agri-Plus Program to track progress and monitor the impact of the program on Lebanese exports. Read below our latest annual report from 2018.

Application Forms and Other Resources

The below application form and engagement letter applies to exporters and cooperatives. In case you are interested to join our program, you have to fill the application form, sign the engagement letter and send it to us at our address in downtown, Beirut so we review it. In case you have further questions on the application process, you can contact us at export@idal.com.lb

Exporter Application Form

Agriculture Cooperative Application Form

Exporter Engagement Letter

Fore more information on IDAL’s Packaging Centers Specifications, please download the below documents

Olive Oil Packaging Center Specifications

Honey Packaging Center Specifications

Fruits and Vegetables Packaging Center Specifications

Flower and Plants Packaging Center Specifications

The Maritime Lebanese Exports Bridge (M.LEB) Program

The Maritime Lebanese Exports Bridge (M.LEB) Program was launched by IDAL in 2015 following a Council of Ministers decision (Resolution No.1, dated 02.07.2015) and was terminated in 2018 after the land borders with Syria were re-opened.

The M.LEB Program consisted of giving IDAL a treasury credit of 21 Billion LBP to cover part of the additional cost to export Lebanese products to Arab countries by sea. The program provided financial support to cover the difference between land-route transport costs and maritime transport costs for both agricultural and industrial exports due to the closure of land borders with Syria.

Details of the Program

The M.LEB Program was providing financial support to help Lebanese exporters access the neighboring Arab markets through sea. Around 35 trucks per day were transported by sea using vessels of various forms including RORO or ROPAx depending on the shipping lines either directly through the Suez Canal or indirectly through the Egyptian ports.

Although the program was open to all agriculture and industrial exporters, it was mostly the agriculture exporters that benefitted from the program and used this support. By end of 2017, 89% of total exports going through the program were in the agriculture sector followed by the agri-food sector (8%) and manufacturing sector (3%). This is mainly due to the fact that most industrial exporters who have non-perishable goods preferred to use containers rather than shipping on board of vessels as it is cheaper.