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Libya
Crops and Livestock
In the 1980s, statistics on Libyan agricultural production continued
to vary widely. For example, figures compiled by the Central Bank
of Libya generally exceeded those published by the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization by 10 to 100 percent. During the 1980s,
wheat and barley were the principal cereal crops, although millet
was also grown in the southern oases. Both crops were cultivated
throughout the country, in the coastal regions as well as in the
desert oases. The optimum yield for wheat cultivation in Libya
was thought to be about 5 tons per hectare, but by the mid1980s
yields were only averaging about 0.5 ton per hectare. Citrus production
declined to insignificant levels following the government's water
conservation measures of 1976. Other important crops were dates,
olives, melons, onions, and potatoes. Vegetables were grown in
specialized farms near Tripoli. Tree crops remained popular because
many farmers combined olive, date, apple, or almond raising with
cereal production (see table 7, Appendix).
In the 1980s, livestock represented the largest incomeproducing
item in agricultural production, and the government has instituted
numerous measures designed to make the country selfsufficient
in meat, poultry, and dairy products. The numbers of sheep, cattle,
and poultry were slowly increasing, while the herds of goats and
camels were decreasing. Sheep constituted the largest percentage
of livestock, numbering some 6.3 million head in 1985. Sheep and
goats were used for meat, milk, and wool and were found all over
the country. The largest flocks were in the Al Kufrah settlement
project. Modern range-management practices and techniques were
being used to prevent overgrazing of the land and to make optimal
use of the pastures. Thousands of hectares of pastureland had
been fenced along the coastal regions for use as cattle breeding
stations as well as livestock-fattening pens.
Until the 1970s, cattle were used mainly for transport. During
the 1970s, the number of cattle--particularly dairy cattle-- increased,
as did milk and meat production. By 1985 there were nearly 209,000
head of cattle in the country, and several fodder plants were
in various stages of completion as part of an effort to achieve
self-sufficiency in animal feedstuffs. The General Dairy and Dairy
Products Company was created in 1974 to take over most private
dairies and to produce and market all dairy products. Private
dairy farms were permitted to operate, but their milk had to be
sold to the state company. The government also entered the poultry
business on a large scale, and independent farmers found it difficult
to compete against the large government poultry farms.
Data as of 1987
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