(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-10 09:17

China's Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that food supply to Hong Kong and Macao during the Spring Festival has been sufficient in quantity and steady in quality despite difficulties caused by harsh weather in many southern and eastern provinces.

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The ministry attributes the normal supply to emergency measures it has taken in advance together with related provinces and departments.

During the festival, the ministry set up a monitoring system on the volume and prices of livestock, poultry, grain, edible oil, meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, sugar and other necessities transported to Hong Kong and Macao to ensure supply meets demand.

Guangdong and Fujian provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other major supplying areas increased food supply to the two special administrative regions. Local governments set up special teams to work round the clock for emergencies during the festival period.

The ministry also urged agent companies, franchisers and export enterprises to overcome difficulties caused by severe snowstorms to actively increase food supply to Hong Kong and Macao.

In addition, inspection and quarantine departments also adopted measures to provide more efficient quarantine and customs services during the festival.

During the past few weeks, snowstorms disrupted rail, air and highway transport in more than a dozen provinces in south and east China. Power supply was also blacked out in many places, causing serious problems in the transport of food and living necessities.