The diesel fuel crisis has returned to the forefront in the Bekaa region, where a complete outage of the substance was recorded in most stations, coinciding with the activity of selling it on the black market at prices exceeding the official price, which portends an expansion of the circle of scarcity and a doubling of the burden of the cost of energy on citizens and the productive sectors.
Field data showed that a large number of stations stopped providing diesel normally, while the remaining quantities were offered outside the official frameworks at high prices, in a scene that brought to mind the repercussions of previous crises related to the decline in supply and the prosperity of the parallel market.
This crisis has a very sensitive nature in the Bekaa, given the dependence of a large segment of people, farmers, generator owners, and service institutions on diesel fuel, as it is the backbone of operating agricultural machinery and electric generators and providing heating and basic services.
These developments come a few days after the issuance of a new fuel price schedule on September 18, which saw the price of a diesel fuel tank rise by 127,000 liras to record 2,768,000 liras, in parallel with increases in gasoline prices.
During the past weeks, a website had monitored indicators warning of turmoil in the fuel market in the Bekaa, represented by some stations closing their doors amid reports of a scarcity of gasoline and diesel and the boom in the black market, despite the issuance of official positions that denied the existence of a comprehensive supply crisis at the time.
These developments coincide with escalating pressures on the local market due to the rise in global diesel prices and growth in demand, which raises concerns about the repercussions of any potential shortage on the furnaces, generators, agriculture, and transportation sectors, as well as the heating sector as winter approaches.
