Aoun for protectionism in support of agro-food industries

After the halting of the ban on the importation of Turkish goods at the request of Prime Minister Hariri, (https://goo.gl/Ks4X2H), President Michel Aoun on Friday voiced his support to protect Lebanese industries, including the agri-food sector. Aoun, who was speaking after his meeting with former MP Abbas Hashem and the head of the Syndicate of Agri-Food Industrialists, Sammy Khoury, pledged to protect Lebanon’s industries from foreign competition that weakens the Lebanese aptitudes and potentials. In a related context, Al Akhbar newspaper reported today that the decision to ban the entry into the country of some Turkish goods that compete with similar made-in-Lebanon products has triggered a division between those who consider it a ‘sovereign decision’ aimed to safeguard local industries, and those who view it as ‘imbalanced’ preceded by failed attempts to enforce protectionist restraints on European and Arab goods that have flooded local markets. The real economic test, Al Akhbar wrote, begins when the government seriously discusses the issue of ‘invasion’ of foreign goods coming from European and GCC countries. The ban measure is a good one, the newspaper analyzed, but so far, it does not suggest a strategic course of action or that it is part of a clear-cut economic policy or plan, noting that what happened is almost discretionary. It means that out of 26 complaints on dumping and increase in imports that have been completely studied or still under the scrutiny of the National Production Protection Department at the Ministry of Trade, not one single proposal has been submitted to the Cabinet. That is, except for the one related to Turkish goods, noting that there is no binding bilateral trade agreements between the two countries which requires both sides not to take unilateral decisions regarding the exchange of goods. For more on the subject, kindly visit the following link: (https://goo.gl/F83GSs). (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, June 9, 12, 2018)

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Upon Hariri’s request, ban on Turkish imports postponed
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