West Africa

• Burkina Faso, on 2 April, announced the implementation of measures to counter over pricing of food items for the period April to June 2020.

• The Gambia, on 24 March, introduced price ceilings on key staple foods, including rice, maize, millet and bread.

• Mauritania, on 25 March, announced measures that would effectively remove the requirement to pay import duties on wheat, oil, milk powder, vegetables and fruits for the rest of the year.

• Niger, on 3 April, introduced price ceilings on essential food items, including millet, maize, sorghum and rice, for a period of three months, with possibility of extension.

• Nigeria approved, on 1 April, the release of 35 000 tonnes of maize, 25 000 tonnes of sorghum, 5 000 tonnes of millet and 5 000 tonnes of gari (cassava-based flour) from the National Grain Reserve to be distributed to the most vulnerable households.

Southern Africa

• In Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa, measures have been put in place to counter over-pricing of food items.

• South Africa introduced, on 19 March, price regulations on a range of food items, including maize meal, rice and wheat flour and, on 27 March, it announced the Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on imported essential goods, which include food products.

• Madagascar introduced price ceilings on rice in mid-March.

East Africa

• Ethiopia implemented price control measures for staple foods.

• Kenya authorized the import of 4 million 90 kg-bags of maize for food and feed use to ensure sufficient market availabilities during the pandemic.

• Rwanda fixed the retail prices of rice and, on 28 March, launched a food distribution initiative for vulnerable households.

• Uganda announced the distribution of food items to vulnerable households.

East Asia

• Cambodia suspended exports of white and paddy rice from 5 April 2020 to ensure sufficient domestic supplies during the pandemic.

• India stepped up deliveries of wheat and rice under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS).

• In Indonesia and the Philippines, staple food items, including rice, are being rationed.

• The Philippines announced, on 30 March, its plans to import 300 000 tonnes of rice to boost stocks.

CIS (Asia and Europe)

• A number of countries implemented trade limitations in an effort to ensure sufficient domestic supplies and avoid price increases of staple foods (FPMA Food Policies).

• The Russian Federation announced the sale of 1.5 million tonnes of grains from State reserves into the domestic market starting from 13 April.

• Ukraine announced, on 27 March, the sale of 160 000 tonnes of milling wheat from State-owned agricultural companies into the local market.

• Georgia introduced a temporary emergency price control mechanism on imported food items, including rice, buckwheat, wheat grain and flour, pasta, sunflower oil, sugar, milk powder and legumes.

• Kyrgyzstan set maximum levels of wholesale and retail prices for a number of food items, including wheat flour and potatoes, which vary according to region. The measure was introduced on 16 March and will remain in place for a period of 90 days.

Central America and the Caribbean

• Honduras, on 21 March, introduced price ceilings on essential food items, including rice, tortillas, beans, milk, fruits and vegetables. The measure applies to both markets and supermarkets and runs until 18 April 2020.

• El Salvador, on 22 March, introduced price ceilings on essential products, including maize, rice and beans. Earlier, on 20 March, the country suspended import duties on white maize, red beans and rice for the duration of the pandemic.

• In other countries of the subregion, including Guatemala and Mexico, measures have been put in place to counter over-pricing of food items.

South America

• Argentina, on 20 March, introduced price ceilings on basic food items and drinks for a period of 30 days, which apply to markets and hyper/super/mini-markets. Under the restriction, prices cannot be higher than their values on 6 March.

• In other countries of the subregion, including Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Colombia and Ecuador, measures have been put in place to counter over-pricing of food items.