Bahrain’s roadmap for strategic food reserves has been given the green light. At its weekly meeting yesterday, the Shura Council unanimously approved a new-look 16-article bill submitted by five members led by Second Vice-President Dr. Jihad Al Fadel. This law has been drafted by the government as appropriate legislation and will be submitted to Parliament for consideration. Under the new law, it will be mandatory to clearly state the minimum percentage of safety stock.
Safety stock is a term used to describe the level of excess inventory maintained to reduce the risk of shortages caused by demand and supply uncertainty. Adequate safety stock levels allow business operations to proceed as planned and, in this case, develop the ability to feed the population during difficult times. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry should work with relevant authorities to draw up a framework, propose a plan, prepare a database and ensure the availability of necessary items. All suppliers have the following obligations: Details of labeled items will be provided to the ministry within one week.
The Ministry will also have the right to launch electronic links with suppliers to directly check available stock. There was a discussion between Ghanim Al Buainain, Minister of Parliament and Shura Council Affairs, and Jamal Fakhroh, First Vice-President, over the structure of the bill. From what I see, the government has no financial obligations. “If there is, where is the necessary investigation by the Shura Financial and Economic Committee,” Al Buainain questioned. “Unlike the UAE law mentioned, this law is also not clear on the responsibilities between the government and providers.” However, this law was built with appropriate mechanisms in place,” Fakhro added. “That’s a concept we’re discussing, and that’s what the government should do.” Keep the issue in perspective when drafting the law and submit it to us without going into details.
“The minister’s comments violate the Shura’s bylaws and should be suspended to allow members to provide general, rather than precise, feedback.” Meanwhile, Shura Chairman Ali Saleh said: He said the bill was essential considering future situations that could compromise national security. “This bill follows the directives of His Majesty King Hamad on food security during the opening of the second session of the 6th Parliament last month,” he said. “The world was suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic” and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which negatively affected food security and the food chain.
“The government will work with us until we reach a format that can be agreed at a later stage. There are misunderstandings in the details that are prolonging the debate and it needs to stop.”Falsification of information, fraud , failure to declare will result in a maximum fine of BD10,000. Improper storage, failure to report inventory or failure to follow proper procedures can also result in imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of up to BD5. Storing strategic food reserves, tampering with the system, falsifying information, or stopping production, import or trade without permission will result in imprisonment of not less than one year or a fine of BD1,000 to BD10. ,000, or both.
The penalties could be even more severe if specified in the 1976 Penal Code or other laws. Once a judgment is entered, the food, materials, and equipment at issue must be immediately confiscated and destroyed at the at-fault party’s expense. The verdict must be publicly announced in two local newspapers. The old form of the law was submitted in 2021, but the government asked for revisions. Since then, the same Shura members have been working on this new version, which has now been accepted for review. The executive regulations must be published within six months of publication of the law in the Official Gazette, whenever the final form has been agreed. mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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