Domestic supplies of commodity goods — such as toilet paper, instant noodles, rice, fertilizer and pork — are sufficient, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, adding that the nation’s production capacity remained stable despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) mentioned the importance of maintaining a steady supply of commodity goods during the pandemic in guidelines he created, Minister Without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) told a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.
“Corporations cannot fall; jobs cannot be lost; supply of goods cannot cease; and money flows cannot stop,” Kung quoted Su as saying.
Photo: CNA
Local factories provide an adequate supply of instant noodles, as they are capable of manufacturing 4 million boxes per month, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) said, adding that if necessary, capacity could be expanded.
People should not worry about tissue paper, either, as the four major tissue paper providers in Taiwan can produce a combined 8 million boxes with eight rolls in each box, Lin said.
There are 567,000 tonnes of wheat available on the market, enough for 5.5 months of domestic consumption, he said, adding that the ministry is keeping close tabs on supplies and prices.
About 1.8 million barrels of soybean salad oil are produced each month, he said, adding that there are 729,000 tonnes of soybeans available on the market, enough for 4.1 months of domestic consumption.
There are 900,000 tonnes of rice in the national reserve, with another 1.2 million scheduled to be added over the next six months, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said, adding that the total amount would be enough to feed the nation for 21 months.
While supplies of vegetables and fruit are adequate, the council would make a slight increase of 21,000 tonnes to vegetables and fruits stored in the national reserve if circumstances require it to do so, Chen said.
With more than 670,000 pigs and 25 million broiler chickens entering the meat market per month, and 12 million chicken eggs being laid per day, supplies of pork, chicken and eggs are plentiful, he said.
Taiwan used 820,000 tonnes of fertilizer last year and the amount to be produced this year has been set at 1 million tonnes, he said.
The aquaculture industry produces a sufficient supply of seafood, he added.
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