KUWAIT CITY, June 4: According to a senior government source, food security is the top priority for the state, and effective measures will be taken to shield Kuwait from the risks of commodity shortages and high global prices, reports Al-Rai daily.

The source said, “The measures taken in this regard aim to reassure consumers regarding short-term and medium-term supply, as well as to develop a plan in the long term to provide guarantees that Kuwait will not be significantly affected by global fluctuations.

They include increasing the per capita share of chicken by 50 percent, and covering the price increase for supply companies by ten percent through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry without burdening citizens.

There is a challenge represented by the weakness of the storage network, and the lack of spaces for traders to absorb sufficient quantities for more than about three months".

The source revealed that, “A government strategy that includes security of food, medicine and construction supplies is being worked on. It aims for Kuwait to own influential shares in various international bodies, companies and factories in order to secure the country with the necessary quantities and the continuation of reassuring flows of food, medicine and construction materials, without being severely affected by the shortage of goods caused by global market fluctuations and competition for goods between countries".

Following the shortage of chicken in the market, the source affirmed that “The Ministry of Commerce and Industry received sufficient quantities of chicken for the month of June at least by calculating the increase that was approved for the per capita quota. It began distributing them to various branches of supply on a daily basis, and they will be available in the subsequent months as well”.

He reassured consumers that there is no need to rush in buying or taking the supply quota from the beginning of the month for fear of any shortage, as chicken of all kinds  will remain available throughout the month.

The source stressed that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is taking all necessary measures to maintain food stocks and provide goods without compromising the citizens, adding that it has so far succeeded in overcoming the equation of either high prices or commodity interruptions imposed by global market developments.

He added that the government's measures in this regard include the tendency to impose on the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies the sale of Kuwaiti products of all kinds.