No shortage of food items in Oman

Muscat: There are plenty of food supplies stockpiled in Oman to meet the needs of people, the head of Oman’s Public Authority for Stores and Food Reserve (PASFR) has said.
Dr Said bin Rashid Al Masroori, CEO of the PASFR, has confirmed the availability of enough food staples in marketing and distribution outlets across the different governorates of the Sultanate.
He reaffirmed that there is no reason whatsoever to worry about the sufficiency of these commodities in the backdrop of the coronavirus spread.
In a statement, Al Masroori explained that PASFR directorates have undertaken measures to provide food commodities in marketing outlets. He said that reserves in the authority’s stores are capable of meeting the needs of consumers.
The weekend saw long lines at checkout counters in the country’s supermarkets, after people emptied shelves and began stocking up on goods and essential supplies as precautions against the possible continued spread of COVID-19.
The authority is working hand in hand with other government and private sector departments to cover the requirements of the local market. Al Masroori commended the existing level of preparedness among all departments in overcoming these exceptional conditions.
The Board of Directors of the PASFR held an extraordinary meeting in Muscat on Sunday, during which it discussed the sufficiency of staple food reserves in the Sultanate against the backdrop of the global propagation of the coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting was presided over by Dr Hamad bin Said Al Aufi, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, who is also the PASFR Chairman. The board reviewed the quantity of stored foods and the timeframe that they might cover, and took appropriate decisions accordingly.
Emphasis was also laid on the coordination of efforts among private sector companies concerned to ensure the availability of staple foods. The board pledged to address all the demands of the private sector companies under its supervision.
— With inputs from ONA