Lebanon has wheat reserves sufficient for one month at most, Economy Minister Amin Salam told Reuters on Friday, amid fears in the market due to the Ukraine crisis.
The country, which imports nearly 60 percent of its wheat from Ukraine, is in talks with other countries including the United States and India to import wheat, Salam added.
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“We don’t want to create a state of panic, we have positive indicators,” said the minister.
Lebanon’s main wheat silos were destroyed in the 2020 Beirut port explosion, since when the country has only had enough capacity to store a month’s supply.
Earlier on Friday, Georges Berbari, the ministry’s general director of grains and sugar beets, told Reuters that Lebanon’s wheat reserves were enough for 1.5-2 months.
He said the government was seeking to focus production on Arabic loaves and away from luxury goods such as croissant and cakes to make the supplies last longer.
Two wheat shipments to Lebanon that were being loaded in Ukraine had been delayed due to the war, Berbari added.
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