Reuters reports The World Food Programme (WFP) will send 50,000 tonnes of wheat flour to Lebanon after last week’s blast at Beirut’s port destroyed its only silo with all the private stocks held there. It was quoting a United Nations report.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report said the flour would be sent “to stabilise the national supply and ensure there is no food shortage in the country”.
A Reuters report on Friday said Lebanon’s government held no strategic stockpile of grain before the explosion and all privately held stocks at the country’s only grain silo were destroyed.
Current flour reserves in Lebanon were estimated to cover market needs for six weeks.
“An initial shipment of 17,500 tonnes is due to arrive in Beirut within the coming 10 days to supply bakeries for one month,” the report said.
Lebanon consumes between 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes of wheat each month.