Food security has come under threat in recent days due to the emergence of substandard, even poisonous, food items in the markets, raising concerns about the potential spread of this phenomenon and the exploitation by some traders of the state’s absence and the sluggishness of regulatory agencies, all for the sake of profit. Additionally, another concern related to food security has arisen with the alarming rise in the exchange rate of the dollar.
The president of the Food Importers Syndicate, Hani Bahsali, assured that the elements of food security are available and that there will be no disruption or absence of any essential products in the market. He addressed the issue of detecting fraud related to labneh (a dairy product) and commented, "We cannot say that food security is threatened due to this incident; rather, the discovery of such issues indicates that the state’s regulatory agencies are performing their role."
Bahsali further noted in an interview with "Anbaa" that "the increase in the official dollar exchange rate will not affect product prices, as they are already priced based on the black market dollar exchange rate. However, institutions will resort to organizing their accounting on this basis, but it will not impact citizens."
Regarding the state collecting taxes from traders in cash dollars, Bahsali revealed that "the Ministry of Finance has initially retracted this decision and suspended it after realizing that it was 'poorly studied,' pending further examination to take the necessary actions."
Ultimately, this scene reflects nothing but chaos and confusion within state institutions as they attempt to find makeshift solutions, as they are left to fend for themselves in light of the negligence of those responsible for fulfilling their constitutional duties, particularly the completion of the presidential election obligations.
