Dubai has ‘sufficient’ strategic food reserves – Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council, reviewed the action plans of the Dubai Food Security Committee on Monday.

“We are fully prepared for the next phase and have sufficient strategic reserves of food commodities. The Dubai Government puts the needs of citizens and residents among its top priorities, with specialised teams working tirelessly to respond to the repercussions of the current crisis,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

The council assessed current opportunities and challenges within the framework of the national food security strategy, reported official news agency WAM.

Today I chaired a @TECofDubai meeting to review the action plans of the Dubai Food Security Committee. Our aim is to reinforce our capabilities in facing crises. We call on all gov’t entities to unite to ensure the provision of commodity supplies at reasonable prices for all. pic.twitter.com/F4d8g5fSDj

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) May 4, 2020

It also explored ways to further facilitate food trade and distribution, diversify import sources, support local food production, reduce food waste and improve food safety.

The council also discussed measures to meet the food needs of all members of the community while ensuring reasonable prices.

In April, Dubai Economy launched a ‘Price Monitor’ portal – price.ded.ae – to track and compare the prices of 41 basic needs including rice, bread, flour, cooking oil, meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, water, salt, sugar, fruits, vegetables and hygiene essentials such as sanitisers and face masks on a daily basis.

Read: Dubai launches website to track cost of essential products, protect consumers

“We must all work together to combine our strengths and resources to manage the situation. All local and federal departments must work closely with each other to manage our food security properly. We need to establish a united vision and approach to confront this challenge,” added Sheikh Hamdan.

In a separate multi-lingual video tweeted by the Dubai Media Office on Monday and created jointly by the Dubai Press Club and Social Media Pioneers Club, several members of the community including store and market managers as well as customers reaffirmed that there were sufficient stocks of food and essential supplies in the country and urged residents to purchase only what they required.

The Dubai Food Security Committee has been keen on following up on the availability of basic commodities and products that meet consumer needs.This video is jointly produced by the Arab Social Media Pioneers Club and @DubaiPressClub to highlight the abundance of food commodities. pic.twitter.com/kbnwjpOTPf

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) May 4, 2020