Lebanon in crisis: Food and hospitality business depressed 

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)