DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba on Thursday assured the public that the country has sufficient food supplies and urged calm, citing strong national reserves and the government's readiness to stabilize the market.
Addressing Members of Parliament in the capital Dodoma, Nchemba said Tanzania's national food reserves stand at more than 400,000 tonnes, well above the required strategic level of 150,000 tonnes.
He said the available stocks are adequate to ensure national food security and maintain surplus supplies across the country.
Nchemba warned traders against unjustified food price hikes, stressing that any attempts to inflate prices would harm citizens and would not be tolerated by the government.
The government, working closely with the National Food Reserve Agency, is ready to distribute food to areas facing localized shortages to ensure access to affordable supplies, he said. ■