Established in 2014 as a leading modern agricultural project, Natagri is specialized in agribusiness. The company aims at developing and promoting a sustainable agriculture system in Lebanon, helping to transform the sector into a ready-for-export model and enabling access to international markets.
Natagri helps provide agricultural input such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, as well as modern agricultural machinery, through their input supply unit. It also provides various services to farmers and growers in mechanization, labor, quality control, and standards implementation. Natagri’s machinery is specialized in vineyards and orchards.
The company also manages several projects in the Bekaa region and provides consulting services in harvesting and post-harvesting best practices for farmers, companies, cooperatives, and municipalities.
Transformation of Grape Production Waste
Natagri’s proposed project under the Food System Challenge is the in-house transformation of the grapes production waste, which is either sold for very cheap or discarded, into table raisins sold in the local and export markets.
The project helps in valorizing waste grapes and increasing farmer revenues and mitigating their losses. It will also create a locally-produced substitute for imported raisins, at a more competitive price and create new jobs for the displaced and vulnerable communities.
The project will also help sustain the jobs of Natagri’s 14 full-time employees and an average of 70 seasonal workers. The new production line will also create 3 new jobs for the line operators.
The Food System Challenge
The Food System Challenge is implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Berytech through support from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The program’s main outcomes are enhanced food security, a well-functioning local food system, enhanced efficiency and resilience of cooperatives and SMEs working across different streams of the food systems, and increased employment opportunities, especially for women and vulnerable individuals.
