Souk El Khan in Hasbaya a victim of the deteriorating overall economic environment

In its continuing reporting of the economic activities during Ad7ha and across Lebanon, As Safir daily described the economic situation of Souk El Khan in Hasbaya as stagnant despite the hustle of Syrian refugees who frequent it for its cheap prices, as well as the UNIFIL troops who enjoy touring the popular and traditional street stalls. While branding the marketplace as the ‘market of the poor’, one farmer, Abu Mansur told the newspaper that he looks forward for every Tuesday of each week to showcase his rural agricultural products, like peaches, apples, grapes and pears. However, he added, that the souk has been sluggish for some time reflecting the general worsening economic situation for citizens living in this border areas. Likewise, and despite the efforts exerted by the Municipality of Hasbaya to renovate the old souk and promote local trade, Adel, a pottery artisan from Rashaya Al Fukhar said that market activity remains sluggish as a result of the overall stringent living conditions that caused a downfall in the per capita purchasing power of consumers. (As Safir, September 30, 2015)