'Excruciating' wait in queues to buy bread in Lebanon

 Citizens in Lebanon suffering from an economic crisis are suffering long waits by standing in queues to buy a loaf of bread  

According to the news agency AFP, it was also a long time ago when Lebanon was called the 'Switzerland of the Middle East', but since 2019, after going home in an economic crisis, citizens now complain of not getting adequate food. In 2020, the value of Lebanon's currency, which went bankrupt due to the national debt, has fallen by 90%.

The World Bank has described Lebanon's economic crisis as the worst since the 19th century, while according to the United Nations, four out of five Lebanese citizens live below the poverty line.

Economic reforms have been demanded by international lenders before the release of new aid, which has forced the embattled government to end subsidies on most essential goods, but wheat is still available to citizens at low prices. is being done.

Prices of low-cost bread and roti have also increased and further inflation is likely if subsidies are removed. The citizens are facing difficulties due to the start of wheat hoarding by the bakeries.

The price of a packet of bread is officially set at 13,000 Lebanese pounds, while it is available on the black market for 30,000 Lebanese pounds.

Khalil Mansoor, a citizen, told AFP that he endures the agony of standing in line for hours for bread and some days he too cannot afford to buy it."Last week we didn't buy bread for three days because we couldn't afford to buy it for 30,000 pounds."

For Mansour and most Lebanese like him, buying bread means standing in long lines outside bakeries for hours, and sometimes the bakeries are out of bread when it's their turn.

Khalil Mansour, standing outside a bakery in Beirut, said, "I stood in line for three hours today, two and a half hours yesterday." Now what is next?'

Khalil Mansoor, who works at a pastry shop, earns $50 a month.

He said that 'I have to feed my family, what else can I do?'