As fears of Covid-19 drive people to stockpile food, some fear supermarkets may run out of essential commodities like rice.

To avert this scenario, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has announced that it will be supplying an extra 100-500 tonnes of rice to shops in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

CRF secretary-general Lun Yeng on Sunday told The Post that the additional rice will ensure the price of the commodity doesn’t skyrocket.

Yeng urged Cambodians to remain calm. “Please don’t panic. We have plenty of rice. Together, all our members have over 400,000 tonnes of rice in stock. We will make it available at an affordable price,” he said.

A 38-year-old Cambodian man living in Siem Reap province recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, sparking fears of an outbreak in the Kingdom.

Signatures of Asia, a CRF member, will soon ship 1,000 tonnes of rice across the country.

“To begin, my company will send 20 tonnes of rice from the province to Phnom Penh next week,” the company’s general manager Chan Pich said.

CRF said in a press release that people can buy rice at Green Trade Company, which has branches in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh and Russey Keo districts.

Rice can also be purchased at Amru Rice (Cambodia) Co Ltd, Mekong Oryza Trading, Baitong Rice Export Company, Khmer Food Group and through rice millers.

The press release said 50kg of fragrant rice sells for 152,000 riel ($38). “So please don’t panic. There is no rice shortage. If you panic the price of rice will shoot up,” it said.

Meanwhile, the price and demand for face masks and hand sanitiser in the Kingdom has dramatically increased as a result of recent developments concerning the virus.