Lebanon seeks wheat imports amid concerns over Ukraine conflict

By Naem Bergawi

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) - Lebanon plans to purchase 50,000 tons of wheat amid concerns on wheat supply over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

Lebanon imports around 60% of its wheat needs from Ukraine and Russia.

"We asked the government to buy quantities of imported wheat for the production of bread as part of efforts to protect the country’s food security,” Economy Minister Amin Salam said in statements cited by local media.

“Around 50-60% of our wheat imports come from Ukraine and Russia, in addition to other quantities from Romania and neighboring countries in the region,” he added.

The Lebanese minister said the US, Canada, and India “are among the major countries that can help Lebanon, in the event of crises in the countries from which we import," without giving further details.

Lebanon needs around 40,000-50,000 tons of wheat to meet the local market needs.

Both Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s wheat exporters.

Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine entered its third day Saturday with the latest reports indicating that Russian troops clashing with Ukrainian forces in the capital Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military intervention Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine. He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring country but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to install a puppet government and said Ukrainians will defend their country against Russian aggression.