Africa-Press – South-Africa. The government says South Africans don’t
need to panic about any impending food shortages in the wake of Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine because there is currently enough supplies locally.
“We have gained enough understanding of
our available food supplies and are confident that there are sufficient
supplies for South Africa and the neighbouring Southern African Custom Union countries
for the foreseeable future, and therefore no need to panic that the country
could experience shortages,” Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Minister Thoko Didiza said in a statement on Saturday.
“We have benefitted from good harvests of
a range of crops and fruits and have already imported a large share of products
that we are import-dependent on, such as wheat and rice.”
Didiza had met with food processors, members
of the fruit and grains industry, agricultural trading groups, and farmer
associations to discuss availability of food safety as part of the
Inter-Ministerial Task Team’s assessment of the Ukraine war to the local economy.
It has been over three weeks since Russia
invaded Ukraine, and aside from deaths and a refugee crisis, the war triggered
skyrocketing prices in oil, wheat and other commodities. The Department of Public Enterprises warned of fuel rationing if
the war continued for much longer.
According to the latest data
from the Central Energy Fund, petrol and diesel prices currently look set for
record increases in the first week of April, with 95 octane petrol set to
increase by R2.15/l, 93 octane expected to climb by R2.07/l, diesel to rise
between R2.94/l and R3.08/l.
Higher fuel prices will affect
input costs of all goods that must be transported and will therefore lead to higher
inflation.
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