BEIRUT, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese farmers on Thursday urged the Central Bank of Lebanon to allow them to use euros at a regular market rate to import potato seeds amid a U.S. dollar shortage.
The farmers said they aim to open letters of credit using the euros to import the needed potato seeds as soon as possible, otherwise they won't be able to plant potato this year, the independent local newspaper Elnashra reported.
They noted that, as potato seeds are in lack of supply in Europe this year, European countries will sell them to other importers if the Lebanese farmers didn't act quickly.
Lebanese farmers will then lose 100,000 acres of potato fields with the yearly production of 400,000 tons valued at 150 million U.S. dollars, the report said.
Lebanese importers have been facing huge challenges lately due to the dollar shortage, prompting them to resort to currency exchange companies to buy dollars at a higher price.
The Central Bank of Lebanon has issued a circular to secure the U.S. currency for the import of a few basic products such as fuel and wheat.
