Morocco, Algeria, and Turkey are ready to send Lebanon the quantities of foodstuffs they want, the president of economic bodies and former minister Mohammad Choucair said on Friday, while the country’s food security is threatened after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“A Moroccan company is ready to provide Lebanon with the quantities of sugar it wants,” Choucair said after a meeting of the Food Security Commission affiliated with economic organizations, according to comments reported by the National Information Agency (Ani, official). “Discussions are ongoing with Algerian officials, and progress has been reported in resuming the import of sugar,” he added.
Choucair also noted that Turkish officials have confirmed the possibility for Lebanon to import vegetable oil and cereals from Turkey. A ship loaded with 500 tonnes of foodstuffs from Turkey is expected to arrive at the port of Tripoli (North Lebanon) on Saturday, Ani also reported. This aid will be received by the security services, the Turkish ambassador to Lebanon, and the secretary-general of the High Relief Committee, Mohammad Kheir.
“Two ships carrying wheat, which was off the country, have unloaded their cargo and a third will unload its own soon,” he continued, according to a spokesman for wheat importers in Lebanon, Ahmad Hoteit. Mr. Choucair also noted that an agreement has been reached to buy three other shipments of wheat. “Lebanon would have enough wheat for two more weeks,” he said. On March 8, the Minister of Economy, Amine Salam, indicated that the country’s reserves “are sufficient for a period of between a month and a half or two”.
In a context of a serious economic crisis, officials are trying to provide substitutes for products imported from abroad. According to a note published by the World Bank’s Vice-President for the Middle East and North Africa region, Farid Belhadj, Lebanon imports from Ukraine and Russia more than 90% of its cereals and the country has approximately one month supply.
