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Paula Ostieh writes in Asharq Al-Awsat:
When shopping recently in a Lebanese market it may seem for a while that you are in a country other than Lebanon. The global goods that consumers are used to are mostly absent from the shelves and, if there are, their prices are 4 times or more than before the dollar exchange rate rose dramatically months ago. They have been replaced by less costly alternatives for the consumer, “although of lower quality, most are imported from Turkey, Egypt and Syria,” according to the director general of the Ministry of Economy, Muhammad Abu Haidar.
Ghada Younes, 34, says her life and that of her family turned upside down about a year ago. The way of life they have been accustomed to for decades is no longer the same, and he pointed out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that materials he had long considered essential, such as the coffee they usually drink and food, are missing. that their children used to eat. And he adds: “It is true that there are many alternatives on the shelves. But they are not all the materials that we consumed. I know we will have to get used to the new species; But that will not be easy and we will suffer a lot with the children ”.
A large number of international companies withdrew successively from the Lebanese market in recent months, after their sales volume dropped dramatically as a result of being forced to raise raw material prices in line with the high rate of change in the dollar, and due to the decline and lack of purchasing power of many Lebanese, of which about 60 percent of them have fallen below the line. Poverty.
Lebanon imports more than 80 percent of the food consumed, according to the Director General of the Ministry of Economy, which means that these materials have been affected by the exchange rate, and their prices have risen dramatically. In recent days, the exchange rate of one dollar in the market has crossed the threshold of 8,500,000 Lebanese pounds, highlighting that the official exchange rate remains fixed at 1,500 pounds.
Muhammad Abu Haidar points out that new materials were automatically imported to replace the global ones the Lebanese are used to, considering that most consumers are no longer looking for excellent quality products but less expensive products, adding to “Asharq Al-Awsat “:” It is no longer feasible for importers to come. With global goods that only 5-10 percent of Lebanese can consume, then we see them importing new types from neighboring countries. The dollar exchange rate is not there very far from what is in Lebanon, and where the goods are somewhat close to what the Lebanese consumer is accustomed to. Food of international varieties that is still in short supply in some markets is limited to those supported by the Ministry of Economy, which means that are insured dollars for imports based on the exchange rate of 3900 pounds per dollar.
The head of the Supermarket Union, Nabil Fahd, believes that Lebanese must adapt to a new lifestyle, since many varieties have gradually disappeared and are being replaced by national products and others imported from countries such as Turkey and Egypt. Apart from alleviating the severity of the crisis, and its continuity depends on the continued support of the state for the imported raw materials it uses.
Lucien El-Helou (28 years old) fears that the food alternatives that invade the shelves are harmful to health, or are not subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, considering in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the large quantities of new articles, which increase weekly, make us ask more than one question about whether he really meets the internationally recognized health conditions; Especially since it is not possible for us as consumers to deduce that from its shape and taste, which are nothing like the global brands we are used to.
Muhammad Abu Haidar is assured that all goods entering Lebanon from abroad through official crossings are subject to the control of the Ministry of Economy, so samples are taken to ensure that they meet the specifications, before allow their distribution to markets: “But the problem we face and try to address is in the goods of the local industry that are put directly on the market, and we have asked the owners of the supermarkets to prepare a regulation for that are subject to control before they are allowed to sell. Abu Haidar points out that, “in a few months more than 25 new oils were introduced to the market, pointing out that during 2020 we registered for the first time many more brands from local companies than from foreign companies”, explaining that “most of them are related to the sterilization and cleaning sector ”. .
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