Bakeries Union Warns: No Bread in Lebanon Starting Feb. 20

The general assembly of the Bakeries Union on Wednesday warned that bakeries across Lebanon might stop producing bread starting February 20 due to a flour shortage.

After a meeting at its headquarters in Corniche al-Nahr, attended by the heads of syndicates and a large number of bakery owners, the union said it discussed “the current flour shortage, especially after the increase in the number of Syrian refugees.”

The union decided, “in principle”, to halt production at bakeries starting February 20 should the Ministry of Economy fail to increase the quantity of subsidized flour delivered to bakeries.

Lebanon is hosting almost 261,000 Syrian refugees, according to the U.N. refugee agency.