The Head of the Food Importers Syndicate Hani Al-Bohsali, said that “the absence of cabinet session is hampering any solutions after lifting food and fuel subsidies.”

He revealed in a radio interview that a study is undergoing regarding the customs dollar, after importers asked Prime Minister Najib Mikati to find new funding sources.

Bohsali explained that “the prices of locally manufactured foodstuffs have been affected after the subsidy was lifted, because most of the raw materials used in their production are imported.”

He said, “Lifting subsidies on fuels and foodstuffs also reflected on the rate of consumption, which has dropped recently and therefore affected the activity and sales of importing companies negatively.”