Sufficient food supplies ensured in lockdown zones

People sell food and purchase goods in Orange and Yellow Zones in Chamkar Mon district. KT/Siv Channa

The Ministry of Commerce has ensured sufficient food supplies in Orange and Red Zones and called for constructive feedback from the public, so it can work together with people to deal with problems in the lockdown period.

The ministry’s spokesman Pen Sovicheat made the remarks yesterday, replying to criticism over sales authorised by the ministry in Orange and Red Zones in Phnom Penh.

The ministry will continue the sales of necessary foods in the zones until the lockdown is lifted, Sovicheat said, adding that the ministry is working to add more food items to the ministry’s 11 stalls and eight mobile trucks to meet demand and keep stable prices of items in said zones.

“All items sold at stalls and on mobile trucks including vegetables, fish and meat, are checked thoroughly for quality and whether they are sanitary for safe use,” he said.

Additionally, he criticised the members of the public who have accused the ministry of benefitting from the temporary sales in the lockdown zones.

“Intervention from the ministry in this situation is to reply to the emergency, so the ministry has to sell the food items from the national reserve,” Sovicheat said.

To increase accessibility to people in the lockdown zones, the ministry also allows a few private companies which are qualified to sell food items with strict health measure practices.

“For three weeks, the food supplies in the Red Zones are not as bad as said by some people, saying that people have run out of food,” he said.

People can buy food items including rice, noodles, soy sauce, eggs, vegetables, meat and fish at the stalls with lower prices compared to the markets. The campaign is aimed to facilitate people in the lockdown areas as they are prohibited temporarily during the lockdown measures, he added.

“We will continue to sell food items in the lockdown areas until there are no more lockdown areas in Phnom Penh,” Sovicheat said. Once the situation recovers to normal, upcoming soon, the general markets will be reopened which will facilitate people. Khmer Times