Artisans in a bakery in Beirut, March 20, 2020. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
BEIRUT — The price of bread was modified on Thursday in Lebanon, according to the latest tariffs published by the Ministry of Economy and Trade, while the Lebanese lira gained relative value against the dollar on the parallel market.
The average package of 823 grams now costs LL40,000, compared to LL39,000 on Wednesday for 828 grams. The large package, which weighs 1,025 grams, is sold at LL48,000, compared to LL47,000 for 1,036 grams previously. The small bundle of bread, which has not been sold for a few weeks, has been canceled.
This was confirmed by the president of the union of flour mills and bakeries in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Nasser Srour, in a statement issued last weekend. This came as the ministry revoked restaurants' access to subsidized bread.
On Tuesday, the lira depreciated at an accelerated rate, reaching over LL140,000 against the dollar before dropping to LL110,000 after the Lebanese Central Bank intervened. Since then, the lira has lingered around LL108,000 to the dollar.
Representatives of the sector had recently told the state-run National News Agency that the time had come to price bread daily, due to the volatility of the lira. The Ministry of Economy has so far not announced any official decision in this regard, but the publication of new bread price lists is becoming more and more regular.