NNA – Following extensive meetings, the Ministries of Economy, Trade and Finance concluded a round of negotiations with the World Bank, headed by Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam, to draft a law accepting an emergency loan of $150 million for the purchase of wheat, in light of the crises that have negatively impacted the availability of this commodity, including the Russian-Ukrainian war and the monetary situation of the dollar in Lebanon.

The program aims to secure stable quantities required for national consumption while maintaining their price.

Minister Salam has signed the final report of the negotiations, and after obtaining the approval of the World Bank Board of Directors, the legal process of this dossier will be finalized by the Council of Ministers and the concerned authorities, in preparation for referring the project to the Parliament Council.

"We appreciate the World Bank for its quick response to support Lebanon in this difficult stage it is going through, particularly over the issue of food security," Salam said.

He considered that amidst the enormous challenges faced by Lebanon and the Lebanese, any harm to the citizen’s food security and daily bread cannot be tolerated. “We will do everything necessary to protect and secure bread as a strategic commodity, and we are also working on several programs with other international parties that we will announce successively,” the Economy Minister added, describing the overall atmosphere as “positive”.

==========R.Sh.