A video circulating on social media shows that the subsidized Lebanese cheese ‘Picon’, stamped by Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy, has been found all the way in Nigeria.
This wouldn’t be the first time Lebanese subsidized products are outrageously found being sold on shelves in foreign countries.
The Lebanese government’s previous explanation was that these products were most likely bought individually at retail price to be sold abroad.
For instance, a store owner in Kuwait once explained that he had bought the products directly from Lebanese grocery stores to meet the needs of his Lebanese customers.
These products are meant to be sold at a supported price to help out the people in Lebanon struggling with the economic collapse, and not for grocery stores to take advantage of the extra margin of profit when they sell them to stores in foreign countries.
However, while shelves may go empty in Lebanon, large amounts of Lebanese products such as Picon are getting smuggled and sold abroad.