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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
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Rice

Maintenance of Reserve Stock

The Government aims to maintain a reserve stock sufficient for consumption by the local population for a reasonable period of time, at present 15 days at all times to meet sudden surge in demand in case of short term shortage of supply or other emergencies. The quantity is shouldered by all registered stockholders. The amount of reserve stock that a registered stockholder is required to maintain during an import period is calculated as follows:

  1. for a newly registered stockholder, the amount of reserve stock for the first import period is 17% of the quantity the stockholder has undertaken to import for that import period; or
  2. for other stockholders (i.e. already registered in the immediately preceding import period), the amount of reserve stock for the current import period is 17% of the stockholders' offtake of rice in the immediately preceding import period. "Offtake" means the total quantity of rice delivered from the approved rice storage place(s). If the stockholder's offtake and the import quantity undertaken in the immediately preceding import period are both zero, the amount of reserve stock for the current import period will be 17% of the quantity he has undertaken to import for the current import period.

In addition, the Director-General of Trade and Industry ("Director-General") has full discretion to specify the amount of reserve stock that a registered stockholder is required to maintain at all times.

Each stockholder must import in full the quantity of his reserve stock before the commencement of his registration period. The stockholder is required at all times during the validity of his certificate of registration to maintain no less than that quantity of the reserve stock as specified in the certificate and such stock shall be in his sole ownership and immediate possession.

All stock of rice maintained by a stockholder, including the reserve stock, has to be stored in rice storage place(s) approved by the Director-General and maintained in good condition to the satisfaction of the Director-General. If the registration of a stockholder is cancelled, either by the Director-General or upon the request of the stockholder, or the registration of a stockholder is expired, the stockholder should dispose of his stocks in accordance with the direction given by the Director-General. At times of emergency, the Director-General may direct stockholders to dispose of their stocks to maintain a stable supply of rice in the market.