War In Russia And Ukraine Not Expected To Affect Kuwait's Food, Medicine, And Wheat Stocks

Concerns have seized the local scene since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war regarding the war's harmful repercussions on the country, particularly with relation to Kuwait's wheat, food commodities, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies.

In this regard, government sources told Al-Qabas that there is nothing to be concerned about and that no important food goods have been imported from the two warring countries.

"Wheat and barley commodities are accessible in great amounts," the sources added, "and the Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company imports wheat from Australia and a bit from Argentina, as well as barley from Australia."

However, these sources confirmed that as a result of the current events and the suspension of their supply from Russia and Ukraine, which are considered among the largest countries in the production of these commodities, the prices of wheat and barley will rise significantly, stressing that the majority of Kuwait's purchases of all kinds are imported from Asia, Africa, and Western Europe, so the effect will be limited.

According to the sources, given present strategic stock levels, the state is able to sustain the predicted price spike in the event of a supply halt due to emergency events, God forbid.

On the ground, the inspection teams set out to assure commodity price stability and to emphasize the need of adhering to and following the Ministry of Commerce's circulars in order to avoid artificially raising prices.

Faisal Al-Mojel, the president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Importers and Pharmacies Owners, stated that it is premature to speculate on the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine on the import of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment into Kuwait from other countries.

Al-Moajil told Al-Qabas that the issue is about the extent to which civil aviation is affected, not only in Russia and Ukraine, but also in most countries in Europe, Asia, and the United States of America, all of which export medicines and medical equipment to the world, and not just to Kuwait, indicating that the country's current situation with regard to medicines and equipment is reassuring and there is no cause for concern.

Al-Mojil further said that the Ministry of Health has a sufficient stock of medicines and medical equipment, both in the Sabhan area and in public hospital warehouses, in addition to a large stock with supplying companies and the private sector, noting that the validity of some important and vital medicines and medical supplies ranges from one to three years.

Furthermore, the quantities circulating in private pharmacies and government health facilities are vast and diverse.

He noted that medical supplies, such as operating room solutions, have a validity period ranging from 6 to 12 months, which is considered short but not a cause for concern, explaining that the current period is witnessing a flow in the supply process from drug-producing countries, with no obstacles, whether due to commercial air traffic or other circumstances.

Abdullah Al-Baijan, the head of the Kuwait Food Union, said that the war between Russia and Ukraine is "very likely" to affect local commercial markets, especially because the latter is a source for importing livestock and poultry products, as well as the possibility of other countries going and putting pressure on alternative producing countries to Ukraine, such as Brazil.

Al-Baijan went on to say that the Union had raised the alarm well before the war, submitting memoranda to the Council of Ministers and the ministers in charge of the strategic food stock to ensure that it was not affected by any wars, regional conditions, the Corona crisis, or other emergencies, pointing out that Kuwait lacked the necessary resources and stores to accommodate the storage of vital nutrients.

Al-Baijan explained that the state has warehouses to store flour, oil, biscuits, rice, and lentils, but that there has been an urgent need for many years to establish large warehouses to accommodate storing other quantities of food supply companies from all over the world so that dealing with an exceptional circumstance is simple and without obstacles.

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