New minister Hajj Hassan committed to the protection of the promising industrial sector

An official ceremony was held yesterday to mark the handover of the Ministry of Industry from outgoing Minister Sabounjian to incoming Minister Hajj Hassan.  The latter stated that the industry in Lebanon is a promising sector and needs to be nurtured and protected by the state, adding that there is no state in the world that does not protect its agriculture and industry.  He pointed out to the fact that many politicians travel abroad in an effort to encourage import to Lebanon (rather then to promote exports) at a time when Lebanon’s yearly imports have risen to USD 14 billion whereas its imports are a mere USD 2 billion.
Hajj Hassan also spoke about the need to protect national production and wondered why no decision was ever taken to double exports for example and decrease imports by USD 2 billion as this will help create new factories and employment opportunities which will subsequently decrease unemployment.  He also noted that the argument of high production costs is invalid stating that most countries of the world suffer from high production costs,  taxes and high energy prices but nevertheless resort to protecting production through different means namely curbing imports, imposing strict conditions as well as negotiating quotas.
In conclusion, Hajj Hassan added that during the three month lifespan of the new cabinet, he will focus on putting together a new approach to support and develop the production sectors of the economy after meeting with the various stakeholders, (IDAL, the chamber of commerce, industry and agriculture, regional chambers, trade unions, etc..) and so as to identify and address priorities.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Diyar 20 February 2014