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The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said on Sunday that half of Lebanon’s population may not be able to meet their basic food needs before the end of the year.
On August 20, ESCWA revealed that the percentage of poor in the population has doubled to 55% in 2020, from 28% in 2019, in addition to the increase in the percentage of those living in extreme poverty three times from 8% to 23 % during the same period.
According to a study prepared by ESCWA under the title “Is there a threat to food security in Lebanon?” And its results were published on Sunday, the explosion of the port of Beirut, the collapse of the Lebanese currency, the “pound” by 78%, the sharp rise in poverty and unemployment rates, and the closure measures that were taken. . To contain the Corona pandemic, all reasons led to this conclusion.
And on August 4, the Lebanese capital spent a bloody night, as a result of a huge explosion in the port of Beirut, which left the victims and wounded with massive material damage, with losses estimated at 15,000 million dollars, according to unlimited official figures.
According to the ESCWA study, whose excerpts were published yesterday by “Anatolia”, the devaluation of the lira has caused significant price inflation, which is expected to exceed the annual average of 50% in 2020, after it was 2, 9% in 2019.
ESCWA warned of “the increase in the cost of agricultural production by more than 50% for various agricultural systems, which will limit local production in the short term, and farmers will lose around 30% of their perishable products due to the technical deficiencies and the lack of necessary infrastructure “. Only 0.36% of the total government budget was allocated to agriculture in 2020. “
He stressed “the importance of strengthening local food systems and replacing some imported agricultural inputs with others that can be produced locally.”
ESCWA called for “supporting trade in agricultural products, for example, by establishing a special line of credit for input suppliers to allow minimum imports based on official or subsidized exchange rates, similar to commodities such as wheat. and medications. ” She stressed that “the international community must give priority to food security programs aimed at host and refugee communities, to reduce the high levels of vulnerability within these two groups and mitigate possible social tensions.”
In July 2020, the average price of food products in Lebanon increased by 141% compared to the same month in 2019, and annual consumer price inflation jumped, above 112% annually in July, driven by the collapse of the lira from last October. , With the escalation of popular protests.
Despite last month’s inflation jump, food prices are expected to rise slightly, according to ESCWA, due to rising import transaction costs following the port explosion, and a lack of confidence in the management of your insurance operations and availability, which can increase panic buying.
Analysts expect the financial situation in the country to worsen due to the currency collapse, as well as a second wave of the Corona virus, as more people lose their jobs and the country’s foreign exchange earnings decline.
Lebanon’s foreign exchange resources declined during the current year, driven by a decline in worker remittances due to the collapse of exchange rates, the stagnation of the tourism sector due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and the weak local confidence in the banking and financial sector.
Faced with this reality, the Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Rola Dashti, asked the Lebanese government to prioritize the reconstruction of grain warehouses in the port of Beirut as essential for national food security, rehabilitating the central warehouse for medicines and ensuring that the most vulnerable groups receive essential medicines and vaccines, according to the statement.
Dashti said that “immediate measures must be taken to avoid falling into a food crisis, especially through strict control of food prices, fixing a ceiling on basic prices and encouraging direct sales from local producers to consumers.”
ESCWA is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It works to support comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development in Arab countries and to promote regional integration. It is based in Beirut.
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