The head of the Poultry Syndicate, William Boutros, launched a distress call, in which he demanded “the concerned officials in the state to rescue the poultry sector by expediting the provision of diesel fuel to the farms and the sector’s production centers before it is too late.”

He added in a statement, “We can no longer obtain diesel, neither from gas stations and companies, nor from the black market.”

Boutros raised his voice, warning that “this reality prompted chicken manufacturing centers and slaughterhouses to stop a number of their production lines, and also prompted farmers to raise their voice as a result of their fear of not being able to obtain diesel fuel, which would kill chickens in farms.”

He said: “We are on the verge of a real disaster that will lead to the suspension of production centers and the death of millions of poultry on farms in case the state officials did not fulfill their responsibilities and provide this vital material at the national level and for the sector.”

Boutros stressed that “this matter is not only a resounding disaster for the poultry sector, but also a national catastrophe, because it will lead to the elimination of this vital and strategic sector at the national level, especially in the crisis that Lebanon is going through, in providing food security for the Lebanese. Being the only source of proteins produced locally, as well as providing job opportunities for more than 20,000 families.”