Fresh bread in a Beirut bakery on July 1, 2020. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — A ship carrying wheat was prevented from offloading at Beirut's port because its shipment "did not meet standards," caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Haj Hassan told L'Orient Today on Saturday, as Lebanon awaits the first shipment in a World Bank wheat loan program.
He added that the ship, which was not a part of the World Bank program, had arrived in Beirut on Jan. 23.
The first ship in the World Bank loan is expected to reach Lebanon in the coming days. Amid rumors of a looming wheat shortage in Lebanon, caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam told local TV channel LBCI Saturday that "there is no wheat crisis, especially with the first ship [financed by] the World Bank loan arriving next week."
Last year, Lebanon signed a $150 million loan with the World Bank to help the country buy its wheat needs.
Haj Hassan told L'Orient Today that he did not expect a wheat crisis. "This is not the first ship that gets rejected. There are more than 10 ships that enter Lebanon a day between corn and wheat so one ship would not make a difference," Haj Hassan said.
Lebanon has experienced several bread shortages in recent months, amid an unprecedented economic down spiral.