Lebanese residents risk being left without food after Beirut bombings - opinion

The economic problem that Lebanon will face after the bombings in Beirut is huge, said Olga Lebedinskaya, associate professor of economics at REU named after G.V. Plekhanova. She announced this on August 5 to the correspondent of the news agency. Lebanon is almost completely dependent on the import of soft wheat, from which one of the mass national dishes of Arabic cake is made, Lebedinskaya noted. Almost all exports go through the port of Beirut. The problem is really huge. The main thing is damaged port equipment, and so far there is no technical opportunity to carry out deliveries. In addition, two ships that were unloaded in the port were badly damaged. Lebanon imports up to 80 per cent of the food consumed and is particularly dependent on imported soft wheat, which is essential for the manufacture of Arab lozenges. As Lebedinskaya emphasized, only 16.9% of the wheat consumed in Lebanon is grown locally, and most of the products go through the capital, which makes the largest port of Beirut an important point for life for the country. Recall, as reported by the news agency, after a powerful explosion in the port of Beirut, which destroyed and damaged dozens of buildings and houses in the Lebanese capital, about 300 thousand people were left homeless.