March 4 (SeeNews) - North Macedonia's reserves of food and oil products are at a satisfactory level, the government said on Friday, as concerns about potential shortages sparked by the war in Ukraine, a major wheat producer, prompted citizens to stock up on staples and fuel.
The country has wheat reserves of 45,000 tonnes, enough to meet its needs until the next harvest, the government said in a statement.
North Macedonia has decreased imports of wheat, flour and barley in the period between 2017 and 2021 as domestic production picked up, the government said. Last year, the country produced 253,000 tonnes of wheat, whereas imports came in at 74,000 tonnes, all of it from Serbia.
The government added it is urging oil and gas retailers not to limit sales and consumers not to stock up on fuel.
North Macedonia has an uninterrupted supply of oil products, predominantly through Greece, so there is no crisis with petrol, diesel and other fuels, prime minister Dimitar Kovacevski told Slobodna TV early on Friday.
North Macedonian media reported of long lines at gas stations across the country on Thursday. At the same time, grocery stores are seeing empty shelves due to fears of shortages of food supplies among citizens.