Directive No. 16 / CT-TTg 2020 was issued by the Prime Minister on 31 March to prevent and combat COVID-19 epidemic through the implementation of urgent measures.
MEASURES
- Strict social distancing throughout the country from 1 April to 15 April, with observance on the minimum distance of 2 meters and prohibition of more than two people gathering in public places, excluding workplaces, schools and hospitals
- Movement across localities are minimised, except for officials on duty and movements related to provision of food, foodstuffs,
necessities, shuttle buses for workers and transportation of production materials. - Essential commodities, food and foodstuff for the public are to be focused.
IMPACT ON FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- While there has not been any official survey done to assess the impact to local food industry, the impact is predicted to be major, considering the severe disruptions to supply chains.
- With food being one of the essentials to be continued in this time as stipulated in Directive No. 16, it would be crucial to provide more information on the scope of products that are permitted for production to avoid confusion.
Rice export was proposed to be resumed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on March 28. However, the export limit is put under strict supervision on a monthly basis.
MEASURES
- This update came after the government’s decision to suspend rice exports last month
- 400,000 tonnes of rice is approved for export for the month of April. The export volume for the month of May will be subjected to the Prime Minister’s approval in end-April
- Prior to the restriction, 6.5 million tonnes of rice were estimated to be exported for this year
IMPACT ON FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- While the intent of such measures is to protect domestic supplies, there may be ripple effect on global prices, which would impact national food insecurity