Mills spokesperson says BDL paid for seven wheat ships, while Bakeries Syndicates blames the bank for shortages

BEIRUT – Ahmad Hoteit, president of the Association of Mills in Lebanon, said on Monday that “Banque du Liban has transferred the necessary funds for seven ships loaded with wheat,” while fears over food security have echoed in Lebanon following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Federation of Bakeries Syndicates released a statement attributing flour shortages to BDL’s “failure” to pay importers.

Here’s what we know:

    • “BDL has transferred the necessary funds for seven ships loaded with wheat," Hoteit said in a television interview. “Funds will also be transferred for three other vessels in the next two days,” he added. A week ago, Industry Minister George Bouchikian indicated that the central bank had opened lines of credit for the import of wheat.

    • The Federation of Bakeries Syndicates in Lebanon said in a statement that “the reasons for the shortage of flour is the failure of BDL to pay the price of imported wheat, which led to a number of mills stopping flour production, and thus reducing the volume of quantities delivered to the bakeries.”

    • However, Hoteit assured that “flour is delivered ordinarily,” adding that “Turkey will send food products to the security forces and the private sector.” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Sunday that his country will donate “more than 500,000 tons of food aid” to Lebanon.

    • Hoteit noted that “a call for tenders will take place to buy 50,000 tons of wheat,” stressing that the wheat offered comes from Germany and France.

    • Lebanon imports the bulk of its wheat from the Black Sea region. During the eight years between 2010 and 2017 Russia was Lebanon’s largest wheat supplier in six of them, according to UN Comtrade data, while Ukraine was Lebanon’s largest wheat supplier in two of the years, and the second-largest supplier in five more.