Smoke rising over an informal Syrian refugee camp in Ersal, Lebanon, Oct. 5, 2022. (Photo provided by our correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
The flour needs of the Baalbeck-Hermel region were the focus of a meeting on Thursday between the Hezbollah MPs for Baalbeck-Hermel, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, Yanal Solh and Melhem Hojeiry, and the caretaker economy minister, Amine Salam, reports the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The MPs called on the minister "to provide additional quantities of flour to meet the demands of bakeries, as the quantities available are largely insufficient, particularly in Arsal and the surrounding area."
Salam is said to have promised "to settle the matter as quickly as possible," according to the delegation, as it is "inconceivable to undermine the daily bread of citizens." "We demand an increase in the quantities of flour for the Baalbeck-Hermel region, and categorically refuse to accept a shortage of bread," insisted Hojeiry. "Every month, the region receives only 150 tonnes, for a population of 120,000 inhabitants, both Lebanese and Syrian refugees," he added, explaining that "to meet needs, bread is now transported from Beirut and the mountains to the northern Bekaa, which doubles the price of bread." Hence "the need to supply flour to the four bakeries in Arsal."
In this context, the MP stated that "fears that the bread would be smuggled to Syria are unfounded," recalling "the effectiveness of Arsal's fight against smuggling."
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.