No looming wheat crisis: Industry leader

Lebanon has no looming wheat crisis, despite Beirut’s main grain silos being destroyed, the head of the wheat importers’ union told al-Akhbar.

Ahmed Hatteet told the local paper that the country has enough reserves to last a month and a half.

The Beirut port silos, which can hold 120,000 tonnes of wheat, were near empty at the time of the explosion, he said.

The port itself is a ruin, and Hatteet said four ships carrying 28,000 tonnes of wheat were unable to unload their cargo.

Minister of Public Works Michel Najjar told LBCI the port in north Lebanon’s Tripoli will be used for shipping in replacement.

Tripoli’s port was recently developed and was thought to be operating at around 40 percent capacity before Tuesday’s incident.