The "celebration" of the elections has passed, and the "idea" of vital crises that will not end their chapters on the Lebanese stage has returned. Those responsible for bread, bakeries, fuels, and medication have returned, after breaking the "election silence," to warn of a "shortage" in flour and gasoline, coinciding with the dollar exceeding the 30,000 Lira mark yesterday. Their statements have caused confusion among citizens, who rushed over the past few hours to bakeries to buy bread, to gas stations to fuel their cars despite the skyrocketing price of a fuel tank that reached 542,000 Lira yesterday, and to supermarkets to stock up before consumer goods prices rise in accordance with the increasing dollar.
At the same time, regarding the crisis of subsidized medications for cancer patients, the voice of the Pharmacists' Syndicate has risen, calling for a demonstration coinciding with the Cabinet meeting tomorrow at Baabda Palace, demanding a clear plan to secure medications for patients before the Cabinet turns into a caretaker government.
As for the bread crisis, its outlines returned to loom on the horizon following the announcement by the Union of Bakeries and Ovens that there is no stock of wheat due to the suspension of six mills, as the available quantities are not subsidized, while those that are subsidized last for no more than two days, threatening the availability of bread from bakeries.
The issue was raised at the table of Prime Minister Najib Mikati yesterday during a food security and local wheat cultivation meeting. Following the meeting, the Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, reassured that "the last batch released as a credit from the Central Bank released around $21 million to support about 45,000 tons of wheat, and the amount currently in Lebanon is approximately 40,000 tons."
It is worth reminding that the matter of opening credits is no longer solely in the hands of the Central Bank, as funding for the support comes from Special Drawing Rights (SDR) rather than from the mandatory reserve. Thus, the credit is approved by the Cabinet and then sent to the Ministry of Finance, which in turn sends it to the Central Bank to open the credit. Georges Barbari, Director General of Grains and Sugar Beet at the Ministry of Economy, explained to "Voice of the Nation" that a credit of $15 million was previously opened, then $21 million, and now it is appropriate to open another credit to support the wheat that is on board three more ships.
Regarding the $150 million agreement with the World Bank allocated for the food sector, including wheat, Barbari stated that "after it is discussed in the Cabinet, it needs to be approved in the Parliament, and then the time to obtain the loan will take about two months," which means it will not resolve the current flour crisis.
According to information, the wheat currently held by mills, valued at about $8 million, is awaiting support to allow mills to start the grinding process and distribute flour to the bakeries supplied by those mills, thus temporarily resolving the bread crisis that threatens the livelihoods of Lebanese citizens every month!
Patricia Jalad
