After unusually heavy rains: China calls on its citizens to stock up on food in preparation for emergencies

Weather of Arabia - The Chinese government's request for its citizens to stockpile food and basic necessities in preparation for a possible imposition of a state of emergency has sparked controversy, not at the local level, but at the global level.

According to "Reuters", the Chinese government called on its citizens to be prepared for a possible shortage of food supply after the outbreak of the new Corona virus, in addition to the country being affected by unusual waves of thunderstorms, which caused a significant increase in the prices of food commodities such as vegetables and fruits.

The Commerce Department's directive late Monday raised some concern on local social media that it might be caused by the escalating tensions with Taiwan, while some commented on the sight of citizens rushing to stock up on rice, cooking oil and salt. Once this news emerged, most of the people were injured. Crazy buy.

Local media also recently published lists of goods recommended to be stocked at home including biscuits, instant noodles, vitamins, radios and light bulbs, and the public response forced state media on Tuesday to try to allay concerns and clarify the ministry's statement.

The Economic Daily, a newspaper backed by the Communist Party, told netizens not to have "too much imagination" and that the purpose of the directive was to ensure that citizens were not surprised if there was a lockdown in their area.

The People's Daily said the ministry issues such notifications every year, but it issued its instructions earlier this year due to natural disasters, high vegetable prices and the recent COVID-19 cases.

The ministry's statement late on Monday urged local authorities to do a good job in ensuring supplies and price stability, and to give early warnings about any supply problems.

The government usually makes extra efforts to boost the supply of fresh vegetables and meat ahead of China's most important holiday, Lunar New Year, which falls in 2022 in early February.

But those efforts are becoming more urgent this year after severe weather in early October decimated crops in Shandong - the country's largest vegetable growing region - as outbreaks of COVID-19 cases stretching from the northwest to the northeast threaten to disrupt the food supply.

Last week, prices of cucumbers, spinach and broccoli more than doubled since early October, and although prices have fallen in recent days, economists expect a significant year-on-year increase in consumer price inflation for October, the first in five months.

The pandemic has also heightened the focus on food security, as the government has drafted a food security law and outlined new efforts to reduce food waste.

The Ministry of Commerce said local authorities should buy vegetables that can be stored ahead of time as well as strengthen delivery networks in case of emergency. She added that information about prices, supply and demand for goods should be published in a timely manner to stabilize people's expectations.

China is also planning to release vegetable reserves "in time" to counter price hikes, according to a state TV report late Monday. It is not clear what vegetables China holds in reserves and how large these reserves are.

The state planning body called for the timely replanting of vegetables, and urged local governments to support fast-growing products, according to the report.