Melhem Khalaf speaking at the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut on April 4, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — More than 190 tons of rice that do not conform to health standards have entered Lebanon and remain unaccounted for, MP Melhem Khalaf warned on Thursday.
Khalaf told Parliament that the rice contained "pesticide leaks," and that when the authorities returned to run tests on the rice, they found the shipment had been replaced with a different product, the whereabouts of the original rice delivery unknown.
The shipment included about 191 tons of basmati rice that arrived in Lebanon on March 8th, Khalaf stated during a conference at Parliament. "When this shipment was unloaded on March 27th, customs officials found it did not meet the standards," he said.
According to him, before this merchandise arrived in Lebanon, the General Directorate of Customs "received a written commitment signed by the owner of the company concerned, not to dispose of this shipment until it undergoes laboratory analysis confirming its compliance with the standards."
"When the shipment was inspected ... it was found that the product, which the company owner had committed not to sell, was not present and that another product had been put in its place," Khalaf explained, warning that the missing goods contained "pesticide leaks."
He finally called on the Ministries of Economy, Agriculture, and Health to clarify the facts and appoint a "food security committee."
The three ministries were not available for comment.