With Lebanon already facing its biggest economic crisis ever, the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine has exacerbated dire living conditions for the Mediterranean nation of nearly 7 million.Lebanon imports most of its food and all of its fuel, and over 80% of the country’s wheat comes from Ukraine and Russia. In Lebanon, the price of wheat flour has risen 209% since the start of Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine, and 330% since the 2019 economic crisis began.
Food and beverage inflation on an annual basis surged to 332% in June, and the wider inflation figure rose to 210% in the same month.According to the World Food Programme, “22 percent of households in Lebanon are food insecure,” and the number of “Syrian refugees who are severely or moderately food insecure stands at 1.3 million, of whom 1 million are receiving assistance.”