Grocery bills in China were already climbing in recent months as an epidemic of swine fever ravaged the nation’s hog population. Hence Beijing’s herculean efforts to keep food moving as the coronavirus brings parts of China’s economy to a near halt. Two state-run food giants have been ordered to ramp up supplies of rice, flour, cooking oil and meat to Wuhan and Hubei Province, where the city is situated. They also said they had readied 10,000 tons of frozen pork near Shanghai’s port that could be sent to Wuhan anytime. Still, China’s ability to continue feeding itself during the coronavirus will depend in large part on how well it controls the spread of the virus.

Source: New York Times February 04, 2020 10:01 UTC