Hong Kong food supply at risk again as more drivers get Covid-19

Dennis TFebruary 13, 2022

25 2 minutes read

At least four more cross-border drivers have tested positive for Covid-19 since Saturday, according to Shenzhen authorities, while vegetable supplies in Hong Kong have taken a further hit after the gateway for fresh food heading into the city was temporarily closed for disinfection. Unionists said the supply of fresh goods would be reduced in the coming days as fewer drivers were willing to take the job during the pandemic.

Hong Kong authorities said on Sunday that the operation of the interchange venue for cross-border drivers at Man Kam To control point was suspended for disinfection after drivers tested preliminary-positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Drivers who stayed there that day were also required to undergo quarantine. Man Kam To control point is a major gateway for fresh foods – including vegetables, meat and fish – going from mainland China to Hong Kong.

Temporary interchange venues have been set up by the Shenzhen government to facilitate the transport of fresh goods to Hong Kong, but local authorities said the supply of vegetables and chilled poultry would be affected to a certain extent due to the redeployment of cross-border drivers. According to data from the Food and Health Bureau, Hong Kong receives 92 per cent of its vegetables from the mainland. As of Saturday night, a total of 17 cross-border drivers had either been confirmed as infected or tested preliminary-positive for the virus since early this month, according to Shenzhen authorities.
Vegetable prices have remained high for days given the tighter supply. According to the Vegetable Marketing Organisation, Chinese green cabbage sold for HK$6.60 per kilogram at the beginning of the month, but was going for HK$21.70 as of Saturday.
At a wet market in Hang Hau, one 30-year-old shopper said she had no choice but to buy the vegetables even though the prices were “unreasonably high

“It seems that cross-border drivers have often been found to be infected these days, and I don’t think prices will drop in the short term. What’s more, I don’t want to visit the market often during the pandemic so I have stocked up on some vegetables,” she said, adding tomatoes and potatoes available at the wet market had doubled in price to about HK$20 per catty (US$2.56 for 600 grams).
Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president Simon Wong Ka-wo said the catering sector could face further vegetable supply issues although it was not a major problem because of the city’s dine-in restrictions and tough social-distancing measures.
Wong said business at restaurants was only about 20 to 30 per cent of that before the dine-in curbs. “And quite a number of restaurants have already temporarily closed for business,” he said. “Therefore, the need for vegetables is not as serious as expected.
Wong said restaurants were only buying 70 to 80 per cent of their usual vegetable ingredients over the past two days. But he said the issue could be solved once Guangdong officials found other delivery alternatives.

Source: Reuters