Egyptian goods “safe,” says Lebanese minister

CAIRO – 4 June 2017: Egyptian agricultural goods are safe, Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Ghazy Zeiter told Egypt Today Saturday, noting that Lebanon has imported all of its potatoes from Egypt over the last two months.

His comments coming on the sidelines of Saturday’s Lebanese-Egyptian Business Affairs Council meeting in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Zeiter said that there is no ban on any Egyptian goods. The council’s role is to put into effect all trade agreements between Egypt and Lebanon which were set during Lebanese President Michael Aun’s visit to Egypt to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in February.

Zeiter added that industrial costs in Egypt are lower than other countries for the abundance in labor, energy resources and qualified human resources. He said Lebanon will provide Egypt with modern agricultural technical know-how and expertise on cultivating certain crops.

The council’s president, Ahmed al-Soueidy, said the value of Lebanese imports from Egypt are $800 million, which the council aims to increase to $1.5 billion, while the value of Egyptian imports from Lebanon is $80 million, which the council aims to increase to $250 million.

Soueidy added that medicine is one of Egypt’s top exports to Lebanon, and that the council aims to increase its reach in Africa, where Lebanon has good commercial penetration. Egyptian Commercial Counselor in Lebanon Mona Wahba stated that the council aims to increase medical exports to Lebanon from $5 million to $100 million.

Wahba declared that Lebanon imports more than 30 types of goods and products from Egypt, such as pearls, fruits, vegetables, precious metals, seeds, cement, detergents, textiles, carpets, cosmetics, home appliances and others.

Wahba stressed upon the fact that Lebanese investments in Egypt sum up to 1,342 projects at a value of $4 billion and that recent events in Egypt did not result in the withdrawal of any Lebanese investors.

Wahba concluded that the council agreed in the meeting that Egypt would manufacture the uniform for the Lebanese airline, Middle East Airline, and other important Lebanese companies at a value of $3 million.