Supermarkets say they are 'well-stocked' following closure of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre

[SINGAPORE] Supermarket operators here are assuring customers that there are sufficient stocks of fruits and vegetables in-store, and reminding them to only purchase what they need.

The announcements by NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Shiong Group and Dairy Farm International retail group, which owns supermarkets Cold Storage and Giant, follow the temporary closure of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.

The wholesale centre will be closed from Monday to Wednesday for cleaning and disinfection after Covid-19 cases were detected among workers and visitors. The Health Ministry had identified 64 cases in the cluster as at Sunday night.

Of the cases, 59 are workers at the market, three are trade visitors and two are household members of cases.

FairPrice said in a Facebook post on Sunday night that to cater to an anticipated increase in demand, the supermarket chain has increased the supply of fruits and vegetables to their stores island-wide. It added that its "robust and diverse supply lines for fruits and vegetables remain intact" and reminded customers to "buy only what they need".

FairPrice's chief executive, Seah Kian Peng, said in a Facebook post that the supermarket gets supplies directly and has its own Fresh Food Distribution Centre.

A spokesman for the Dairy Farm International retail group said it has not had a surge in store traffic. "Our supplier base is diversified to ensure sufficient supply across our stores and we would like to assure customers that our stores have been minimally affected by the closure of the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre," added the spokesman.

In a Facebook post on Sunday night, supermarket operator Sheng Shiong Group wrote that they are "working hard to ensure that all our stores remain well stocked with timely deliveries of fresh vegetables and fruits".

Chairman of the Singapore Fruits & Vegetables Importers & Exporters Association, Tay Khiam Beck, said some suppliers and vendors would inevitably be affected by the closure of the wholesale centre. He said: "The mid- to bigger-sized suppliers usually have warehouses outside of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, so they would not be that badly affected. But smaller suppliers who only have facilities at the wholesale centre would have to close for three days." He added that the closure has created some inconvenience for suppliers and vegetable vendors, as the news reached them only on Sunday afternoon.

Affected sellers like Aw Guan Hong Vegetable Wholesaler are planning to close their shops for a few days until the wholesale centre reopens.

Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, which occupies about 15 hectares, is an important supplier of vegetables, fruits, and dried goods. It handles about 30 per cent of Singapore's fruit imports and 50 per cent of vegetable imports, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Sunday.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore said workers there could have been exposed and infected by Covid-19 elsewhere.

He said: "This is the reality with the highly transmissible Delta variant, that people could be exposed in many settings, and subsequently spread the virus to people in the same households or in the same workplaces." He added that the manner of spread at the wholesale centre could be similar to what happened at the Jurong Fishery Port. The cluster of more than 1,100 cases at the port was believed to have been the result of mask slippages and workers taking breaks together.

Professor Teo also added that the three-day closure at the wholesale centre would be "modestly useful" to stop further transmissions for the time being.

THE STRAITS TIMES