Regional instability harms Lebanese exports

The year 2016 was a difficult one for Lebanon’s manufacturing and agriculture sectors. Exports have been one of the clearest indicators of the challenges the sectors have faced and, in general, of Lebanon’s depressed economy – largely due to the war in neighboring Syria, a conflict that has cut Lebanon off from its larger trading markets. However, a new government negotiating access to, or expansion of, existing trade deals could help local producers recoup lost market share in the coming year. The hope moving forward in 2017 is to reorient exports to new markets with new investments, spurring local capacity production and absorption of Lebanese products in country. On the latter, foreign assistance will partly look to boost production capacity and new job creation by supporting the establishment of several industrial zones. Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan said in early November that there was a contraction of the manufacturing sector’s