The Public Authority for Stores and Food Reserve (ZAD) held a meeting with wholesalers and retailers of food and consumer commodities in the Sultanate on Tuesday. They checked about the level of food stocks maintained by wholesale and retail companies and how adequate they are for the coming period.
Dr Hamad bin Said al-Oufi, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ZAD stressed that the conditions that the world is going through require all parties to stand side by side, whether government agencies or the private sector, and intensify efforts in coordination with private sector institutions to ensure the availability of basic food commodities.
He stressed that ZAD will provide all the facilities requested by the private sector and which are under its responsibility, adding that the government will provide all the facilities needed by traders and companies in storing food goods in ZAD’s warehouses and supply, customs clearance and shipping.
On the other hand, Dr Rashid bin Salهm al-Masroori, CEO of ZAD stressed that the reserves of basic food commodities available in the authority’s warehouses and stores are sufficient to meet the need of the Sultanate in various emergencies it may face.
Representatives of private sector companies expressed their willingness to cooperate and coordinate with ZAD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to achieve the objectives that the Government is seeking to achieve during this critical phase. The attendees addressed some of the challenges that require action by some government agencies to enable private sector institutions to promptly play their role.
Times of Oman
27/03/2020
