[ad_1]
The explosion of the port of Beirut has accumulated the living crises of the Lebanese (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)
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 by the end of the year.
This came about in a study prepared by ESCWA entitled “Is there a threat to food security in Lebanon?”, The results of which were published in a press release.
The committee considered the explosion of the port of Beirut, the collapse of the Lebanese currency by 78%, the sharp increase in poverty and unemployment rates, and the closure measures taken to contain the Corona pandemic, reasons that led to this result.
⚠️#ESPAO Attention: it can be difficult for half the population #Lebanon Meet your basic nutritional needs before the end of the year!
Read more ⬅️ https://t.co/rsNAKLhLoV pic.twitter.com/XleFtqm0FB
– CESPAO (@UNESCWA) August 30, 2020
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 study, the depreciation of the Lebanese pound has caused significant inflation, which is expected to exceed an annual average of 50% in 2020, after it was 2.9% in 2019.
In July 2020, the average price of food products increased by 141% compared to the same month in 2019.
Food prices are expected to rise slightly, according to the study, due to the increase in the costs of import transactions after the explosion of the port, and the lack of confidence in managing their security and availability, which may increase purchases panic.
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.”
The study warns of an increase in the cost of agricultural production by more than 50%, which will limit local production in the short term.
ESCWA is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations, working to support comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development in Arab countries.
(Anatolia)
[ad_2]
