- Wave of COVID-19 cases is causing supply chain disruptions across the country.
- Chicken shortage is the latest casualty with KFC having to downsize menus.
- Diesel fuel additive AdBlue still in short supply with no end in sight.
Exploding coronavirus infections on the East Coast due to the highly infectious Omicron variant is causing supply chain havoc across the board from fresh fruit and vegetables, to meats, fuel, and even a shortage of workers.
In the latest scarcity scare, fast food company KFC announced that a chicken shortage at some of its restaurants, thanks to COVID-19 ravaging many parts of Australia, will mean a downsized menu at many places.
In response to the shortage, supermarket giants such as Coles have also limited customers to how many chicken breasts and chicken thighs they can purchase.
Conversely, as per Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) figures, Australia?s lamb and mutton production is forecast to increase by 8% to 680,000 tonnes in 2021?22.
Lamb production is also forecast to increase as previous flock rebuilding brings more lambs to market.
However, whether the country can have the red meat delivered remains to be seen as fewer trucks are on the road due to a large number of truckies having to isolate, and a lack of commercial vehicles on the road.
Just last month, Grafa reported that Australia?s supply chain crisis is poised to worsen as a major shortage of AdBlue, which is a key ingredient used in diesel exhaust fluid, is forcing truckies off the road.
Around the world there is a major shortage of urea which is a crucial ingredient in AdBlue ? an additive that helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions ? a mandatory requirement of many diesel vehicles, including commercial and private vehicles.
And in crypto news, many people are wondering what will happen when the finite number of Bitcoin (it is capped at 21 million coins) runs out. In 2021, Bitcoin surged a massive 157% by year-end despite volatility, however the crypto?s creator Satoshi Nakamoto imposed a limit on the number of coins that can exist with many concerned about its impending scarcity.
There?s already a dearth of tourism numbers at world-renowned sites like Bondi Beach.
The question is: when will this paucity of just about everything end?