Thailand’s Department of Internal Trade has told supermarkets and retailers to build up safety stocks of rice, canned food, milk and drinking water after demand rose following official advice to pack 72-hour emergency bags. The department said in comments published yesterday, November 6, that supplies remain normal and that people have no need to stockpile.
Director-General Wattanasak Suea-iam said stores had confirmed that shoppers were buying more of some goods, though he described the rise as modest, and that every chain had agreed to hold enough safety stock and keep refilling shelves so that items do not run out.
He added that manufacturers and distributors were ready to keep producing and delivering, and urged the public to be aware but not to panic.
Outlets gave different figures for the rise. Thairath reported an average increase of 5 to 20% in demand for food and drinks, including rice, dried and canned food, dairy products and drinking water, while Naewna put the rise in sales of some goods at about 5 to 10%. Wattanasak linked part of the increase to timing, as late October and early November coincided with payday, a government top-up of state welfare cards and news coverage of the bag advice.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and the National Security Council (NSC) have been urging households to keep a bag with enough supplies for the first 72 hours of an emergency or disaster.
DDPM Director-General Nirat Pongsitthaworn has said the advice follows an international preparedness standard and is not a sign of war, and that Thailand faces no security emergency that calls for large-scale stockpiling.
The DDPM’s checklist, which The Thaiger covered when the department advised households to prepare 72-hour emergency bags on November 3, covers medicine, food and water, communications and tools, documents and cash, hygiene, and clothing, with about 3 litres of drinking water per person per day.
Source: THE THAIGER
