Other news

After that the dollar exchange rate exceeded the ceiling of LBP 2000 in the black market (https://lkdg.org/ar/node/19020), economic experts in Lebanon say that the monthly salary of the Lebanese is set to lose more than 40% of its purchasing value, adding that with most institutions planning to operate part-time, while cutting to half their workforce’s salaries, the majority of the Lebanese people will soon fall under the poverty line. As for the fluctuating prices of merchandise, the head of the Consumer Protection Directorate, Zuheir Berro, said that the price of one product has varied from one store to another and from one region to another. He pointed to a state of total chaos sparked first, by the rise in the rate of the dollar in the exchange market, and second, by greedy manipulative importers and traders who are trying to force their prices undeterred (noting that nearly 85% of consumer products in the Lebanese market is imported). Similarly, the director-general of the ministry of economy and trade, Alia Abbas, attributed the crisis of prices to the incomplete powers of her ministry which are largely confined to regulate the relationship between retailers and consumers and to recording violations. She disclosed that she has filed a letter yesterday to the justice minister requesting exceptional powers that will allow her ministry to give violations the nature of ‘urgency’ by referring them to the competent judiciary. Abbas maintained that such powers will also serve as a deterrent act enforced by an accelerated executive force. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, November 28, 2019)
 

The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs and Patisseries in Lebanon announced yesterday the shutdown of some 265 food enterprises in a period of two months. It said that another 200 institutions are expected to close during this month, considering that such figures have been recorded after the statement released by the Syndicate in the wake of the 17 October Uprising. Recalling, that the Syndicate has warned of the repercussions of tax increases in the absence of the basic living, social, economic, financial and environmental needs, coupled with the sharp decline in the purchasing power. With the holiday season close at hand, which gives the owners of establishments a glimmer of hope, there are still no encouraging signs in terms of preparations and bookings for the festive season, the statement said. The Syndicate appealed to the officials and decision-makers to act responsibly for one time and step up the formation of the government in order to salvage the waning sector which is currently in a state of coma. Meanwhile, the head of the Lebanese Farmers’ Association, Antoine Howeyek, revealed to An Nahar daily that the demand on agri products has fallen by nearly 50% during the past two months, which led to a decline in the prices of those commodities as a result of reduced consumption. Howeyek explained that the upshots of the economic crisis on all sectors has aggravated the anguish of agriculture and farmers, pointing out that the purchasing power of the Lebanese has weakened and their resources dropped, as well as the activity of hotels, restaurants and hospitality establishments. The problems of the previous period are still there, and now they are combined with a shrinking consumption. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, November 26, 2019)
 

Al Akhbar daily highlighted individual initiatives launched by Southern communities to return to the roots and achieve food self-sufficiency. It brought to mind the food security strategy kicked off 9 years back by the Hizbullah-backed Unions of the Municipalities of Jabal Amel and Bint Jbeil. The newspaper mentioned a number of undertakings to this effect, most notably: ‘I am part of the resistance, I am a farmer’. The latter, to note, was started by Hussein Abbas, from the Bint Jbeil town of Hanin. It inspires land proprietors to plant their stretches of land with staple food crops and breed livestock and poultry to meet consumption needs. This initiative which some believed unfeasible, was developed by the local municipalities into a project, Al Akhbar said, mentioning another initiative, ‘Khairatna bi Ardna’ (The resources of our land). The latter is run by the mayor of Ainata, Riad Fadlallah, to encourage locals to cultivate their land, (up to 150 dunums), with chickpeas, lentils, corn and fava beans under the supervision of the ministry of agriculture. In this regard, the municipal member in the first district controlled by Hizbullah, Ali Zein, spoke to Al Akhbar about several similar initiatives launched in the past years within the municipalities of Jabal Amel and Bint Jbeil. The aim, he said, was to create jobs in the remote areas, including the distribution of some 3,000 chickens to those willing to raise poultry on small scale; support of the beekeeper community; the building of a dairy factory; the distribution of small fruit, olive, fig, thyme and carob trees and seedlings. On the other hand, Kamal Fouani from Houla, questioned the efficacy of such initiatives, outlining some difficulties farmers could face, particularly the high cost of labor, the summer water shortage and the soaring prices of imported seeds and fertilizers. In a related vein, Al Akhbar cited southerners as saying that the current food scarcity is in fact the direct upshot of the policy of siege and starvation against the resistance community. (Al Akhbar, November 25, 2019)