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Endeavors to support domestic industry, agriculture
18-6-2019
The president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association (LIA), Fadi Gemayel, stressed yesterday that the value of Lebanese exports which stood at USD 4 and half billion in 2011, has declined to USD 2 billion today, noting that the local industry boasts real capacities to stimulate economic growth. Gemayel, who was speaking during a joint ministerial-parliamentary meeting with industrialists, pointed to the mission accomplished with the new budget in terms of the approval of quality fees on 20 commodities (https://lkdg.org/ar/node/18528). He explained that the reduction of nearly USD one billion in the trade deficit is offset by the provision of some 20,000 jobs directly, and 44,000 indirectly, based on recent UNIDO reports. For his part, the minister of industry, Wael Abu Faour, revealed that meeting parties agreed to form a parliamentary bloc supportive of the industry and other productive sectors. The aim of the committee is to keep up with the financial and economic debate in the Legislature and bolster the protection of industry through introducing new protectionist diktats in the budget to fight dumping.
On the other hand, the minister of agriculture, Hassan Lakiss, said on June 15, repeatedly said that protecting domestic production is the prime goal of his ministry. Lakiss, who was speaking during the internal conference of the General Union of Agricultural Syndicates, added, that smuggling poses a great threat to the local agricultural production. He disclosed under-the-table meetings between the Lebanese and Syrian ministries of public works to resolve the issue of high customs enforced on Lebanese export trucks. He revealed that a delegation of his ministry visited Syria as part of its key role to facilitate the marketing of domestic produce which was hampered for years. Lakiss clarified that his ministry has lifted restrictions on the export of Lebanese agricultural production in order to balance supply and demand in the interest of both farmers and consumers. (Al Diyar, June 16, 18, 2019)
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