Tokyo, May 25 (Jiji Press)–A total of 19 countries temporarily restricted food exports amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese government said in a white paper on food, agriculture and rural areas on Tuesday.

Among them, Russia placed restrictions on wheat and corn exports, and Vietnam set export quotas on rice exports, according to the fiscal 2020 report, approved at a cabinet meeting on the day.

Expectations for improved food security are rising as ensuring stable food supplies is one of the government’s most basic responsibilities, the report said.

Many of the 19 countries lifted the export restrictions as Japan at international meetings called for improper measures to be removed, it noted.

Meanwhile, an opinion poll on eating habits has found that 35.5 pct of respondents eat more often at home than they did before the coronavirus outbreak, and 26.5 pct cook more often at home, according to the white paper.

Due to growing stay-at-home demand, consumption of pasta and frozen food increased, causing supermarkets to temporarily run out of stocks.

With spending on vegetables and eggs robust as well, per-capita expenditures on fresh foods in February rose 3.7 pct from a year before to 6,821 yen. On the other hand, spending on eating out dropped 30.0 pct to 2,579 yen.