The Federation of Bakeries and Bakeries Unions in Lebanon issued a strong warning that the bakery sector and citizens, especially the popular groups, are entering an “extremely dangerous stage,” due to the continuous rise in the prices of wheat, flour, and diesel, in addition to the costs of energy and transportation.
In a statement issued following an emergency meeting of its Executive Council, the Union explained that the government inherited an economically and financially collapsed country, pointing out that the repercussions of the ongoing war since October 7 have left huge burdens, particularly concentrated in the regions of the south, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the Bekaa. He also attributed the direct increase in the cost of producing a loaf of bread to the disturbances occurring in the Black Sea and the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, which resulted in global increases in oil and fuel prices.
The Union recalled the destruction caused to wheat and grain barns as a result of the Beirut Port explosion, criticizing the lack of serious response to its repeated demands over the past years to rebuild them and secure a strategic reserve for the country. He stressed that “neither the poor citizen nor the bakeries are able to bear these differences indefinitely,” considering that Lebanon is facing a “military, security, economic, and social war,” and that time is running out for everyone.
The Union pointed out that the platform approved between the Ministry of Economy and the Union calculates the price of bread based on the cost of raw materials and the exchange rate, which means that the continued rise in the cost will inevitably lead to new increases in the price of a loaf of bread.
In this context, the Union called on the government to take immediate action and declare an “economic and social emergency” to protect bread and the poorest groups. He stressed that he is not calling for random support, but rather for expanding the social safety net by covering the cost of bread for the most needy families through a transparent and studied mechanism.
He also called for it to be a key partner of the Ministry of Economy in establishing and monitoring the support mechanism, “to prevent the repetition of the mistakes of the previous support experience and the accompanying waste, violations, and judicial prosecutions.”
The Union concluded its statement by considering what it issued as a “clear warning,” stressing that “it is not permissible for the poor alone to pay the price of war, an energy crisis, and an economic collapse, and it is not permissible for bakeries to be burdened with costs they can no longer bear,” stressing that “protecting the loaf of bread is a national responsibility, and the solution must start now before it is too late.”
