What now for the Bekaa

Residents in the border town of Majdal Anjar broke a jar the moment the last Syrian soldier left Lebanese soil. It is a local ritual to signify that something has ended once and for all. But while the general atmosphere in the Bekaa is one of great relief and hope for a better future, it will take more than the symbolic breaking of pots to revive a local agro-economy that is plagued by smuggling, lacks government support and has no competitive edge. “I will double my operation in the Bekaa valley as soon as some form of protectionism is introduced and smuggling is stopped,” said Musa Freji, President of the Tanmia Agricultural Development Company. He was referring to the roughly 25 tons of chicken breast that enter Lebanon, unchecked and unregulated every day. “It’s a huge operation,” he sighed. “In Lebanon the meat is divided in small in black plastic