BEIRUT, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The chief of Lebanese Farmers' Association said on Monday that the potential re-opening of the Nasib border crossing, principal export route to Gulf markets, will benefit the country's agricultural exports.
"We expect our agricultural exports to go up following the opening of the Nasib border," Antoine Howayek told Xinhua.
On April 1, 2015, Jordan closed its border with Syria following heavy clashes between rebels and Syrian government forces near the Nasib crossing.
As the only functioning crossing between Jordan and Syria, Nasib is vital for the transport of goods from Lebanon and Syria to Jordan and Gulf states.
Lebanon's agricultural exports suffered heavily following the closure of the Nasib border.
"Our agricultural exports dropped from 530,000 tons to 350,000 tons, equivalent to an over 35-percent decrease," Howayek said, adding that Lebanese farmers have to resort to maritime export.
The cost of maritime export, however, doubles that of land export, according to the Lebanese association chief.
"We used to pay 8,000 U.S. dollars to export one container of agro-products by sea to Qatar, compared to 4,000 dollars by land," he explained.
After a three-year closure, Syrian government forces on Friday took control over the major crossing point on the Nasib border with Jordan, raising a Syrian flag there.
"We are happy that the border is in the hands of the Syrian army again, which will enable us to export all kinds of products again by land," said Howayek.
