The news about depleting stocks of Indian non-basmati rice is a source of irritation for many people in the UAE. Both the government and the cooperative societies should invest some efforts to calm down public worries. Food security has become a global issue and the UAE should draw an aggressive food policy to cater to the volatility in the food market.
Rice is exactly like wheat and sugar for every family in the UAE and their availability at affordable prices for an average family must be secured throughout the year. The Ministry of Economy has to work with suppliers and agents of basic food items to make sure that they have enough stocks to supply residents with their requirements. The looming rice shortage crisis might replay the egg shortage scenario, which the residents of the UAE lived through a few months ago. The lesson was more than enough for the government to develop a method to handle incidents of shortages in various food items.
The ministry needs to develop a comprehensive data system, define basic food items and create emergency committees comprising leading food agents to make sure that basic food supplies is not a matter of manipulation by unscrupulous agents.
