Caretaker Lebanese Minister of Economy Amine Salam. (Credit: NNA)
Many Lebanese have the reflex to pile up food at home, at a time when the sound of boots between Hezbollah and Israel is deafening and the specter of a regional war omnipresent, but caretaker Economy Minister Amine Salam reassured the Lebanese on Thursday, based on meetings he had with importers.
"The unions assured me that Lebanon has enough stocks for three months and that cargoes expected at the port in the coming weeks should be enough for another two months, which means that our stocks cover consumption for the next five months," Salam said in an interview with the media.
The minister, who noted that Lebanon imports 90 percent of its needs, said he had given instructions so that the food would be distributed equitably according to the regions, particularly those where there are internally displaced persons due to the fighting raging in southern Lebanon.
Salam deplored, however, that the Lebanese "no longer believe their leaders, because the authorities have lost the trust of their population for years already," regretting that "current leaders are suffering the consequences of corruption and mismanagement of the past."
The economy minister, however, asked the Lebanese to "show solidarity in these difficult times," believing that the wealthiest should not empty the shelves, which would harm the most vulnerable who survive from day to day. Especially since such behavior risks driving up prices.
Salam also deplored that smuggling continues to wreak havoc on the Lebanese market, stressing that the parallel market represents more than 50 percent of the legal market. "I will propose to the Council of Ministers an expansion of the security cell created two years ago to manage the monopoly on wheat storage, in order to include all commodities," he added.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.