Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday reassured the public that the nation has sufficient supplies of fresh produce and tissue paper, and that people can shop without worries.
Su made the remarks at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei in response to media queries about his Facebook post on Thursday, which said that people can buy as much rice, fruit, seafood, processed food and tissue paper as they want, amid reports of panic buying at supermarkets.
The public need not be alarmed over news of panic buying abroad, as supplies of food staples and daily necessities are under control, Su said.
Photo copied by Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
The nation has sufficient food supplies, thanks to its robust agricultural, food processing and fishery industries, he said.
It has more than enough tissue paper, with production running at only about 60 percent of capacity, he said.
If people are afraid of dining out because of concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, they are welcome to buy more fruit and vegetables to boost produce sales, he said.
However, that does not mean people should hoard daily necessities, the premier said, adding that those who engage in profiteering by driving up prices would be promptly and severely punished by law.
Asked if the panic buying could have been triggered by false reports, Su said that people who spread disinformation about food or daily necessities running short would also face penalties.
ZOMBIE MOVIE
Later, at a legislative question-and-answer session, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) said that photographs of people waiting in long lines to check out groceries on Thursday resembled a doomsday scene from a zombie movie.
He asked Su to reassure the public that there is no need to engage in panic buying.
Su said that judging by their current output, toilet paper manufacturers can immediately increase production if required.
He added that the government has 900,000 tonnes of rice in reserve and that the harvesting season is near.
Asked if there is no shortage of food and daily commodities, the premier said: “Correct.”
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) asked Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) whether there is any truth in reports that disinformation online sparked the panic buying.
The government has taken action to curb the spread of false information and the culprits would be held to account, Chao said.
Tsai said that the ministry had located the sources of disinformation, which are likely domestic, and would take legal action against them.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
RSS