Member profile
Dr. Fouad Maalouf
Organization:
ICARDA
Country:
Lebanon
Field(s) of expertise:
I am working on:
the improvement of faba bean at Global level
Dr. Fouad Maalouf
Pulses are important crops in the culinary of some countries but due to policies subzidizing cereals crops, farmers tend to go for monocropping. Another point historically the Interational fund for legume crops were very little while cereals were highly funded.
In Egypt for example each person consumes in average 11.5 kg of faba bean, the current production is far below the requirement to meet the self sufficiency. there is need to increase the production by 55% to meet local self sufficiency of this crops. in some years where is this shortage at international market of faba bean the prices increases in the level of the countries (year 2015-2016 in Egypt) and therefore healthy and balanced food for poor in Egypt is becoming escase.
Lentil prices goes up in importer countries like Sudan and Egypt with very high cost in dollars. so the introduction/or rehabilitation of this crops in Egypt
Countries where there is huge production of the legume crops but no consumption, there is a need to make awareness about the benefit of legume crops in term of reducing heart diseases, lowering cholesterol and presnt colon cancer