With the closure of a major land crossing earlier this year due to the Syrian war, the Lebanese economy, and farmers in particular, took a devastating blow.
Lebanon Export Lifeline
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Mechanic Imad Suleiman lives on site with his two grandchildren at the truck stop in Lebanon’s Bekaa region. With trucks coming in for repair, he cannot afford to put them in school. (John Owens/VOA)
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The truck stop used to get at least 50 trucks coming in for repair. Now, many are left to collect dust, unable to transport agricultural produce overland through Syria, Sept., 2015. (John Owens/VOA)
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Ayman Halawi owns 6 refrigerated trucks and is encouraged by the new $14m subsidy to help exporting. Having frozen his business since the closure of the Nassib border, he hopes to launch it again shortly, Sept., 2015. (John Owens/VOA)
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The impact of the Nassib border closure has forced many refrigerated truck owners to close or mothball their businesses, Sept., 2015. (John Owens/VOA)