The Blessed Month of Ramadan is almost over, and Eid al-Fitr coincides with harsh conditions for the Lebanese. Maamoul prices this year have reached their peak, because of its expensive ingredients including dates, walnuts and pistachios, in comparison with the low value of citizens’ income .

“A dozen of pistachios cost 90,000 LBP. Walnuts cost 70,000 LBP. A dozen of dates has reached 50,000 LBP. Thus, one kilo of Maamoul contains 45 pieces, while one kilo of Pistachios’ Maamoul is sold at 100,000 LBP. This is due to the disastrous exchange rate of the dollar this year. Regarding the price difference between this holiday and the last Eid, a dozen Maamoul dates was sold at 35,000 LBP, almost half the price of this year’s, but it should be noted that the dollar exchange rate was 4,000 pounds. The price of a 21 kilos’ butter tank is $185, at the beginning of Ramadan it was $140, and the price of a kilo of pistachios is 160,000 LBP, ” the owner of a sweets shop explained to Sawt Beirut International’s reporter, Ibrahim Fatfat.

Sweets shops have suffered losses as a result of the inflation, not to mention the closures imposed by the pandemic and the skyrocketing prices.

“The purchasing power of citizens has diminished, and a significant sales quantity was affected. Our loss is significant, and there is no fixed exchange rate for the dollar to quantify the extent of our loss. We cannot increase prices any higher to avoid (striking) our shops in the market where we began operating seven years ago, because, despite our efforts, we raised prices while maintaining the quality of our products,” the sweets’ seller affirmed.

Quality remained as is in some stores, but shifted significantly in others, owing to a lack of consumer availability for some products on the one hand, and high prices for others on the other.