In Akkar: Families Living on One or Two Eggs

Journalist Maiz Obeid wrote an article in "Nidaa Al-Watan" stating: "The economic crisis is pressing harder on Akkar families, diminishing their ability to confront and endure an unprecedented crisis in Lebanon's history. Who would have believed that a Lebanese person would reach a day where they buy eggs by the one or two? And that a carton of eggs (30 eggs), which used to be sold for 7,000 LL, now ranges in price from 90,000 to 100,000 LL?! This is just a simple sample of what the Lebanese citizen endures daily, facing difficulties that make life in this country seem almost impossible. Adham M. recounts: "Before my eyes, a woman entered a grocery store in one of Akkar's towns and bought 3 eggs for 9,000 Lebanese pounds, meaning each egg costs 3,000 LL. At first, I couldn't believe it and asked the shop owner, who told me: There are no customers buying a whole carton of eggs except for rare occasions; do not be surprised that some buy one or two eggs, as their price is equal to that of a carton of eggs in the old days." He adds: "Look at these incomplete cartons, as people buy a few eggs, and most cannot afford to buy a full carton or half of it. If we insist on selling it whole, we may not sell it at all, and that is why we have started selling people what they want; so that we sell and they can buy." This incident is repeated in other Akkar villages and towns, as confirmed by several grocery store owners we contacted, who affirmed that "the conditions of the people are so difficult that some families now buy groceries in small quantities (an ounce or two). One shop owner reported that he has significantly reduced the goods that come in canned and specified weights, and resorted to 'loose' products to leave room for people to buy small quantities within their financial capabilities." In the words of one of them, "We are not living; we are counting days," it is a major crisis under which people are suffering, prices are soaring, and many families have lost their ability to endure while others resist, but we do not know for how long."