The head of the Union of Food Industries, Munir Al-Bassat, assured in a statement that the prices of national products, specifically food industry products that are of great interest to the Lebanese, will not be affected by the increase in the customs dollar to 15,000 LBP. He pointed out that "most of the raw materials are exempt from customs duties, and part of these materials is available within Lebanon."
Al-Bassat stated, "There are details that may emerge in practice and implementation, which may lead to very slight price increases due to the rise in customs fees on packaging materials used in food industries, but despite that, we will not notice any significant differences in prices."
He noted that "the share of food industries in the Lebanese market has increased from below 30% to 50-60% after the crisis, as national products cover the needs of the Lebanese market significantly, especially in the dairy and canned goods sectors."
Al-Bassat highlighted that "the food industry sector, since the beginning of the crisis and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ongoing economic collapse, has succeeded in meeting the needs of the local market, and there has been no absence of any Lebanese food industrial product, which confirms the sector's ability to meet market demand in addition to its capacity to export to foreign markets, where its exports have been increasing year after year."
