Kuwait is committed to its food security in light of global concerns over the price and supply of key staples, while it continues to monitor the global spread of monkeypox, the Cabinet said on Monday. In order to enhance food security and ensure the adequate availability of major staples, the government has formed an ad hoc ministerial committee to look into the matter after a surge in food prices triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it underlined.
The prices of commodities will be under the supervision and monitoring of the Ministry Commerce and Industry to maintain food security for households in Kuwait, Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahad Al-Shuraian said. Speaking to KUNA and Kuwait Television after the Cabinet meeting, Shuraian affirmed that the ministry was able to maintain prices of local commodities and products despite the hike in global prices due to war and other mishaps.
Kuwait Imports 95 percent of food products and any increase in prices was reflective of the alarming global situation, indicated the minister, noting that the Cabinet meeting had focused on establishing a ministerial committee tasked with bolstering food security. The committee will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Oil and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr Mohammad Al-Fares and includes the membership of several ministers, added Shuraian. He revealed that the Cabinet had instructed several state departments to secure essential commodities and make them readily available to the public.
On the global spread of monkeypox, Health Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Dr Buthaina Al-Mudhaf told the Cabinet that health authorities are taking stringent precautions to keep the virus at bay. There have been no reported cases of monkeypox in Kuwait, the government’s spokesman Tareq Al-Mezrem said after the Cabinet meeting, stressing that the health ministry continues to monitor the situation on a global level.
Two days after Kuwait held municipal elections, the Cabinet thanked all state bodies involved for their efforts to organize the vote, saying the process panned out in an orderly and seamless fashion. The Cabinet went on to congratulate the newly-elected municipal council, wishing the body every success as it seeks to bring the wishes and aspirations of Kuwaitis to fruition. – KUNA
