Singapore says prepared for Malaysia food supplies disruption

Singapore "may have to make some adjustments to our choices in the short term,” however the country has "sufficient food supplies for all Singaporeans as long as all of us buy responsibly,” Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post.

The comments come after Malaysia banned residents from traveling overseas and instituted a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for those returning home in a bid to limit the coronavirus outbreak. Some 300,000 people a day cross between Malaysia and Singapore, supplying the wealthy city-state with food, supplies, and workers.

Chan said Singapore’s government has been preparing contingencies for disruption in food supplies from Malaysia for many years

Singapore has put in place "robust plans” to manage this scenario and will continue to review strategies to ensure Singaporeans never run out of food or essential supplies.

The country is using a strategy combining stockpiling and local production to buy time to bring in alternative supplies should usual supply lines be disrupted.

For carbohydrates such as rice and noodles, the country has more than three months’ worth of stockpile at the national level.

For proteins such as meat and vegetables, the country has more than two months’ worth of supplies at normal consumption patterns.