The state of Lebanon’s industry

This article is part of an Executive special report on Lebanese industry. Read more stories as they’re published here, or pick up October’s issue at newsstands in Lebanon.   Fady Gemayel is president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI). Executive spoke with him about the state of industry in Lebanon, its challenges and its future.   With a total of $482 million by the end of 2013, Syria, according to the ALI, ranked as Lebanon’s leading export destination. Has Lebanese industry taken over part of the Syrian market? And, on the other hand, has it profited from the presence of over a million Syrian refugees in the country? First we thought the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon would be temporary, just as we thought the Syrian crisis would be. Now we know that both are here to stay for years to come. Before discussing any possible benefits, let me