Regression of Lebanese industrial exports triggers renewed calls for protectionism

A report prepared by the industry ministry has shown a 6.7% decline in Lebanese industrial exports during the first four months of 2017, dropping to USD 806.9 million against USD 865 million during the same period of 2016 and USD 967.4 million (by 16.6%) in 2015. According to the report, chemical industries topped the list of exports in April of this year, standing at USD 45.7 million, followed by agro-food industries (USD 44 million) and electric equipment (USD 36.1 million). Arab countries were the main market destination for made-in-Lebanon goods during April, with exports reaching USD 108.6 million (accounting for nearly 51.6% of the total industrial exports), the report indicated. Europe came second (about 15.9%), followed by the non-Arab African countries (11.3%) and countries of Americas (10.3%). An Nahar newspaper mentioned that the president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association (LIA), Fadi Gemayel, had proposed earlier in May a set of measures to protect specific products against illegal competition from foreign goods. But despite the fact that some of these industries do not directly affect disadvantaged communities, An Nahar cautioned that, yet certain items, food in particular, (burghul, sugar, pasta, cheeses, milk, biscuits, flour, cornflakes and chicken), may be drastically effected in the event of price hikes. For its part, LIA argued that the protective procedures will definitely lead to lower prices in the local market as a result of increased productivity of factories and lower production costs. (An Nahr, Al Mustaqbal, August 2, 2017)

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