Several countries are offering assistance after the explosion in Beirut
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The U.S. is providing funds to help Lebanon with food security after the explosion at the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4.
Since Aug. 6, the U.S. has provided $18-million worth of food, medicine and other relief to the Lebanese people.
During a recent visit to Lebanon, Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale outlined America’s further commitment to helping with recovery.
The Trump administration “is prepared to work with Congress to pledge up to $30 million in additional funds to enable the flow of grain through the Port of Beirut on an urgent, interim basis,” he said on Aug. 15.
Lebanon imports about 80 percent of its food.
Notable U.S. ag exports to Lebanon in 2018 included prepared foodstuffs and vegetable products ($70 million), and beverages and tobacco ($58 million), the International Trade Administration says.
Most of Lebanon’s wheat imports come from Russia and Ukraine.
The explosion left the country with about a month’s reserves of wheat, and enough flour and bread to feed the population, Raoul Nehme, Lebanon’s minister of economy, told Reuters following the event.
The blast at the port destroyed the country’s only grain silo.
The facility had a storage capacity of 120,000 tonnes (132,000 short tons). Prumstav, a Czech construction company, built the silo between 1968 and 1970.
Other countries and groups have also come to the aid of the Lebanese people to help them recover from the aftermath of the blast.
On Aug. 20, Egypt sent its tenth relief plane to Lebanon carrying 38 tons of food and other aid. This is in addition to Egypt sending a plane with 21 doctors and medical equipment to help treat injured people.
Canada has pledged $30 million for relief efforts, the French millers association has committed to donating 500 tonnes (550 short tons) of wheat flour, and two days after the explosion, Italy sent firefighters and eight tons of supplies to Lebanon.