by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Dalal al-Shami, a displaced Syrian woman in her 60s, meticulously observes the different sizes of fruits that grow from the fiber seedlings planted in her tent at al-Wazzani in southeastern Lebanon.

Having lost her husband at the beginning of the Syrian war, the mother of seven children considers fiber cultivation as her only source to support the family given the difficult economic situation in the country.

"My children and I were eager to start our small business which would help us secure our livelihood instead of begging others for money or waiting for aid from international organizations," al-Shami told Xinhua.

The lady, who inherited fiber cultivation from her late father, transformed her displacement tent into a workshop where she turned raw fruits into multi-use fiber, focusing mainly on producing luffa sponge products.

She explains that fiber cultivation goes through several stages, starting with the preparation of seedlings, then cultivation, followed by the installation of wooden or iron scaffolds with a network of wires for plants to climb on, and finally arriving at the final phases of soaking, drying and sewing.

This procedure prompts al-Shami to seek help from her children who have lost their jobs at a plastic bags factory that closed as a result of the country's dire economic conditions.

"Each of my children is responsible for some tasks in agriculture, irrigation and harvesting, others soaking the fruits in water and peeling them off. My eldest son is in charge of marketing the products to nearby shops by motorbike," she said.

With the collective efforts of her family, al-Shami is capable of producing 50 ready-made luffa sponges a day sold at a wholesale price of 50,000 Lebanese pounds, around 3 U.S. dollars according to current exchange rate, each.

Cylindrical in shape, the fruits of the fiber can reach about 60 cm in length and be planted in areas ranging from 400 to 850 meters above sea level, preferably in a shaded place, said Fatima Awada, an agricultural engineer.

Awada explains that the fiber has several uses, including body cleaning, kitchen utensil clearing, stuffing home and car cushions, and people can just eat it after boiling.

No accurate data can be provided in terms of Lebanon's volume of fiber production, while Awada said the manufactured quantity is not sufficient for the local market and hence the country needs to import some from Egypt.

She added that fiber cultivation generates a satisfactory profit for rural farmers in light of the great demand for the product and its great commercial value in the local market.

Lebanon's multiple crises plunged 74 percent of the country's total population into poverty, while the country hosts many refugees with the number of Syrian refugees estimated at 1.5 million. Enditem

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