More than half of Lebanon at risk of food shortages: UN

BEIRUT: More than half of Lebanons population risk food shortages in the wake of the catastrophic Beirut explosion, which has compounded the countrys already precarious long-term problems, the United Nations ESCWA agency said Sunday.

Civil unrest, sudden restrictions on access to foreign currencies, a reduction of financial flows since October 2019, and the outbreak of COVID-19 and its containment measures have raised concerns over food security in Lebanon, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said.

Given that the country relies heavily on food imports, the massive explosion that destroyed a significant part of the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 is expected to worsen the food security situation, ESCWA said in a statement.

Lebanon was experiencing its worst economic crisis in modern history even before the deadly Aug. 4 blast, which killed 188 people, wounded 7000 and destroyed much of the capital.

The country had defaulted on its national debt, seen its national currency plummet in value, and experienced a rapid rise in poverty and unemployment.

This economic collapse has only been worsened by a sudden spike in coronavirus infections and the resulting lockdown.

In July 2020, a month prior to the explosion, the average price of food products had already increased by 141% compared to July of the previous year.

As a result, the UN has warned that with the explosion only exacerbating the myriad of other longstanding problems, that more than half of the countrys population is at risk of failing to access their basic food needs by the years end.

Immediate measures should be taken to prevent a food crisis, said ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti.

According to Dashti, the Lebanese government must prioritize the rebuilding of the silos at Beiruts Port, the countrys largest grain storage.

To prevent an emerging crisis, authorities must also set a ceiling for food prices and encourage direct sales from local producers to consumers, Dashti added.

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