Tobacco and tunbac growing are subject to a licensing system which determines the area of land to be planted and its geographical distribution, as well as determining the type of seeds to be planted.
Planting licenses were limited in the past to favored and influential groups in villages and towns. This led to as much as 5% of the farmers owning up to 60% of the planted land.
From 1991 on wards, the granting of agricultural licenses and permits was regulated, allowing the farmers to receive licenses provided they met the following requirements:
- The holder of permit resided in the town where the crop would be planted
- The holder should be a true farmer
- The holder should be a family man
- The holder cannot have land (owned or leased) of an area equal to that to be planted
- The volume of tobacco produced should be 100-400 kg.
At present, the Department does not grant permits at the present time as the number of permits should equal the available land.
| Area Presented Planted | 80,000 Dunm |
| Volume Produced Annually | 8 million kilograms |
| Value of Crops | 90 billion LL |
| Number of Licensed for Agriculture | 458 villages in total
148 villages in the North, producing 1.6 million Kg annually
117 villages in the Beka'a, producing 180,000 Kg annually
193 villages in the South, producing 4.5 million Kg annually |
| Number of Tobacco and Tunbac | 25000 Farmers |