Lebanon, which is economically, financially, and politically exhausted, is looking to recapture part of its capabilities and wealth, especially those - Report on The Eastern Herald
Smuggling of fruits and vegetables, typically from Syria to Lebanon, has changed direction as local produce has become relatively cheaper due to subsidies and a weaker lira.
Local farmers are no longer facing tough competition from Syria, Jordan, or Egypt and smuggling from Syria has decreased significantly, said Ramez Osseiran Chairman of the Farmers Association in the South.
Smuggling has sometimes reversed trajectory, with Syria becoming the destination of Lebanese agricultural products. The Committee of Traders and Exporters of Vegetables and Fruits in Damascus has reported that citrus fruits were being smuggled from Lebanon to Syria.
Antoine Howayek , Chairman of the Lebanese Farmers Association, said that when the price difference increases, or when a crop is in short supply, exports or smuggling occur towards the country with the highest price and the scarce supply.
Saudi Arabia s produce ban sends Lebanon a political message
The ban has been viewed as collective punishment at a time of economic crisis. [Getty] Date of publication: 5 May, 2021 Share this page:
In another hit to Lebanon s agricultural sector amid the country s economic crisis, Saudi Arabia announced in late April that it would ban the import of fruit and vegetables after authorities seized more than 5.3 million Captagon pills that were hidden in a pomegranate consignment.
In the past six years, Saudi authorities say they have seized 600 million pills and hundreds of kilograms of Captagon coming from Lebanon. The quantities that were thwarted are enough to drown the entire Arab world, not just Saudi Arabia, in narcotics and psychotropic substances, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari tweeted.
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Saudi Arabia has banned the import of fruit and vegetables from Lebanon after authorities seized more than 600 million pills and hundreds of kilograms of hashish in the past six years, Riyadh s ambassador to Beirut said on Sunday.
Walid Al Bukhari revealed the full extent of drug seizures days after more than five million captagon pills were found in a shipment of pomegranates that arrived in Jeddah from Lebanon.
“The quantities that were thwarted are enough to drown the entire Arab world, not just Saudi Arabia, in narcotics and psychotropic substances,” Mr Al Bukhari wrote on Twitter.
الكميات التي يتم إحباط تهريبها كافية لإغراق الوطن العربي بأكمله بالمخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية وليس #السعودية وحدها.#الحرب على المخدرات Waleed A. Bukhari (@bukhariwaleeed)