Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Phenomenon panic buying occurred in a number of areas in China after the government urged people to stock up on daily necessities for emergencies.
President Xi Jinping’s government issued an advisory on stockpiling food ahead of the tightening plan lockdown in order to reduce the surge in the Delta variant of the Covid-19 that occurred.
Since then, most supermarkets have been invaded by residents, causing long queues at supermarket cashiers.
Biscuits, processed meats, rice, soy sauce, instant noodles, and chili sauce are the most sought after items in supermarkets.
The search for food stocks also took place on a number of Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com.
Reported The Straits Times, some vendors are even experiencing stock shortages, according to local media reports.
The panic buying phenomenon occurred after a notification from the Ministry of Commerce earlier this week asking local authorities to ensure adequate food supplies.
The ministry also asked the public to stock up on daily necessities for winter or emergencies.
The announcement sparked speculation on social media about whether the notification was linked to another widespread Covid-19 spike in China, about extreme winter weather, and to the escalating tensions between China and Taiwan.
A list of household supplies and emergency food recommended by the Jiangsu Provincial government last October was also widely circulated on Chinese social media.
The list includes instant noodles, bottled water, oil, rice, compressed biscuits, and lunch meats.
Hearing this notification, many residents were confused and rushed to the supermarket to buy additional supplies of cooking oil and rice.
Meanwhile, the government continues to ensure that food supplies are still plentiful.
National broadcasting board CCTV reported an over-interpretation of the ministry’s advice.
“At present, the supply of daily necessities in various places is sufficient, and the supply must be fully guaranteed,” said Zhu Xiaoliang, director of the consumption promotion department at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The announcement did not clearly state the reasons residents were asked to stock up on food. There is only an emergency phrase.
“Families (are asked) to store a certain amount of daily necessities necessary to meet daily life and emergencies,” China’s Ministry of Commerce wrote.
The order also does not mention concerns about food shortages. The Chinese Ministry of Trade did not declare this request because it was worried that the lockdown would cause the food supply chain to be cut off.
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