Lebanese Official Denies Reports of Wheat Shortage

Raoul Nehme, the economy minister in Lebanon’s caretaker government, says the country has enough wheat flour for “four months,” denying reports that the destruction of the grain silo in last week’s massive Beirut port explosion had led to a shortage. “We don’t have a [wheat] stock crisis or a bread crisis!” he tweeted on Wednesday, adding that Lebanon currently has 32,000 tons of flour and has already received or will be receiving within two weeks an additional 110,000 tons from abroad. The concrete silo has become a photographic focal point of the August 4 blast, with a mountain of grain spilling out of the side that was completely wiped out in the detonation of some 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in an adjacent warehouse. Last week, Nehme said there had been plans to establish a state reserve of 40,000 tons of wheat, although this never materialized. The entire cabinet resigned on Monday but is remaining in place until a new government can be formed. The country has seen massive street demonstrations since October, with citizens complaining about government ineptitude and corruption.