SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Bohsali explains the truth about “crazy hikes” in food commodity prices after lifting subsidy .

The head of the Food Importers Syndicate, Hani Bohsali, issued a statement calling on various media outlets to “be careful, especially when it comes to extremely sensitive issues that directly affect the lives of citizens.”

Bohsali confirmed that “reports that are circulating in some media outlets talking about insane hikes in the prices of food commodities from which the subsidy will be raised is an exaggeration,” warning that “this matter raises confusion and intense fear among the Lebanese about their inability to buy their needs from “Food commodities in light of their declining purchasing power.”

In this context, he made clear the following points:

“- Most of the prices mentioned in the reports are false and have nothing to do with reality, as they were published without communicating with supermarket owners or food importers to ensure their authenticity.

– Most of the prices mentioned in these reports, before the subsidy removal, are at the level of the prices of unsupported commodities (for example, but not limited to, not all brands of tuna or tea are subsidized). Consequently, their prices will not change if the subsidy is removed from the food basket, provided that the exchange rate does not change

There is no doubt that subsidized food commodities will register a rise in their prices after the subsidy is lifted, but the fallacy is that prices, after their rise, will remain much lower than the levels presented in the reports.

Also, on the other hand, there are many varieties of one commodity at different prices, and therefore the citizen will have many options at different prices and with acceptable quality, and this is what the Syndicate indicated in a previous statement, where it announced the efforts made by importers to secure a wide range of food commodities that are commensurate with the capabilities of the Lebanese. Purchasing ”.

Bohsali assured the Lebanese that “the Syndicate spares no effort to secure the continuation of the food supply for the Lebanese people,” noting that “importers are in constant search for new resources to ensure the preservation of their food security.”