Lebanese produce in limbo with Saudi Arabia market closed - in pictures

The ban on imports of Lebanese agricultural produce was imposed in April over drug smuggling

Hussein Madbouh shows off lettuces from a field in Rayak, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Reuters

Saudi Arabia's ban on imports of Lebanese agricultural produce, imposed in April over drug smuggling, closed a major market for Lebanese farmers, who grow everything from lettuce and onions to cherries and peaches. Reuters

Lebanon's fruit and vegetable exports usually totalled about 400,000 tonnes a year, with about a quarter destined for Saudi Arabia or going via the kingdom to other Gulf states. Reuters

A collapse in the Lebanese pound means farmers have greater need than ever for export dollars to buy fertiliser and other raw materials. Reuters

Workers in a lettuce field in Rayak, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Reuters

The Saudi market for Lebanon's exports and transit is worth $24 million a year. Reuters

The price of lettuce, with its short shelf life, fell by half, forcing some farmers to sell the produce for animal feed. Reuters

Every day that passes with the Saudi ban still in place means more financial pain for Lebanon's farmers. Reuters

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