National News Agency – Baalbek – The Union of Tobacco Farmers in Lebanon honored more than 100 students who succeeded in the exams of the secondary classes in Bekaa during a ceremony held at the “Yakzan Yahfoufi” Hall in Baalbek.
The event was held under the sponsorship of the Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zeaiter and in the presence of MPs Hussein Moussawi, Marwan Fares, Emile Rahme represented by George Maalouf, Regie’s Director General Engineer Nassif Seklaoui, President of the Union of Municipalities in Baalbek Nassri Outhman, Amal Movement official in Bekaa Mostafa Fouani, Regie’s Head of Agricultural Department and Purchase of Bekaa region Engineer Hassan Hamade, the vice president of the Lebanese General Trade Union and head of Union of Tobacco Farmers, Hassan Faqih, Head of the Union of Tobacco Farmer in Bekaa Ali Mousawi, representatives of “Philip Morris” Robert Naous and Hady Tabshi as well as presidents of municipalities and a number of political and social figures.
Faqih
During the event, Faqih delivered a speech in which he called for “including tobacco and tombac farmers in the National Social Security Fund, increasing the prices in proportion with the high living costs and the increasing costs of tobacco farming, continuing the support from the state to this agricultural activity and other aclack;">
3.
. The Regie pays the price of (ready-to-use) tobacco products in US Dollar, while the Ministry of Finance has been undertaking since 1987 to set the wholesale price of tobacco products delivered to the Heads of Sales in US Dollar, who, in turn, deliver such products to retailers that is the customer exclusively in Lebanese Pound according to the circulated exchange rate.
4.
The Regie has chosen to calculate the average price of its payments in US Dollar and those in Lebanese Pound; whereas the price that the Regie has set for the customer is no more than 48% of the Dollar’s circulated rate. Further clarification is detailed in the below table:
Cedars price per pack before the crisis
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Price per pack against the market’s (current) exchange rate
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Price per pack against the Regie’s(current) arrangement
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This chart will be modified according to the exchange rate of Dollar in the Lebanese Market .
5.
The Regie is an investment enterprise (industrial and business) in the first place, therefore cash-flow in foreign currencies ensures its continuation and the national production process.