Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the pandemic could trigger a global food security emergency that would put vulnerable countries like Lebanon at particular risk. "Once the breadbasket of the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon is facing a dramatic challenge that seemed unimaginable a decade ago: the risk of a major food crisis," he wrote in the Washington Post. "Starvation may spark a new migration flow to Europe and further destabilize the (Middle Eastern) region," he added. FOOD IMPORTS AT RISKFood importers worry that dwindling dollars are on the verge of running out, and that the dollars available could reach a price level that would put food out of reach for a growing class of impoverished Lebanese. Bohsali said food imports required financing of about $5 million per day and importers were increasingly unable to find enough banknotes to complete new orders.

Source: bd News24 May 21, 2020 19:30 UTC