by DailyStar.com.lb

Lebanon’s Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan Tuesday warned of a total collapse of the industrial and trading sectors in Lebanon. Hajj
Hasan, who was speaking at a conference for marble and granite factory
owners at the Biel Exhibition Center in Beirut, said that “competition
by foreign products … has created a dangerous situation.” The minister called on the government to protect local industries. Prime
Minister Saad Hariri also spoke at the conference, who affirmed his
government’s vehement support to Lebanese industrialists and the
country’s local products. “We will work to serve you,” Hariri told the attendees.

Marble and granite factory owners in Lebanon have recently staged
several rallies against imports of similar products from Egypt and
Syria. Lebanon has some 570 licensed factories and more than 500 unlicensed factories. Lebanese
exports have declined due to high production costs in the country, in
comparison to the cost of production in countries to which Lebanon
exports its goods, Hajj Hasan noted. He added that Lebanon has
faced several obstacles imposed by countries in Europe, Turkey, China,
Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, despite demands to lift the hurdles on Lebanese exports. The
minister vowed that the government led by Hariri would seek to restore
confidence by making decisions to protect local production sectors