Industrial licenses up by 16 percent

Most new factories concern food industry

Industrial licenses issued by the Ministry of Industry increased by about 16 percent to 210 in the first half of the year, compared with the same period of 2012.

Ziad Bekdache, Vice President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), said: “The number of licenses issued should have increased more, especially in light of the Syrian crisis. The local market was supposed to attract more industrial investments because many Syrian factories stopped operating.”

The Mount Lebanon governorate had the highest share of licenses for new factories (59 percent), followed by the Bekaa (15 percent), and North (nine percent).

According to the Ministry, most licenses were for light industries. 40 percent of all licenses concerned fourth category factories, and 39 percent concerned third category ones. Categories one and two are for heavy or semi-heavy industries.

About 28 percent of all factory licenses went for food industries, followed by 17 percent for construction materials, and ten percent for electronics. Bekdache said: “The reason behind establishing more industrial factories is due to the increase in the consumption from Syrian refugees, and the increase in exports.”