The industry and trade sector, retailers, and market stabilization enterprises of Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and Binh Phuoc have been making constant efforts to regulate the supply and demand of essential consumer goods to stabilize prices.

According to reporters' records in the Ho Chi Minh City market, the current prices of essential consumer goods have increased significantly compared to the end of May 2021.

In response to market developments, the industry and trade sector of Ho Chi Minh City and retailers and market stabilization enterprises of the city have been making constant efforts to regulate the supply and demand of essential consumer goods to stabilize prices.

A report from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade shows that as of August 4, 33/237 markets in the city are still operating. These markets mainly trade in food and foodstuffs such as livestock and poultry meat; poultry eggs; vegetables and fruits; dry food...

In the immediate future, markets will prioritize the sale of essential daily consumer goods for people in residential areas.

Regarding the field of price stabilization of essential goods, Ms. Pham Thi Huan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ba Huan Joint Stock Company, said that in early June 2021, price stabilization enterprises proposed to increase the price of poultry eggs in the market stabilization program of Ho Chi Minh City due to the sudden increase in production input costs. At the same time, the selling price of similar products on the market increased by more than 10%.

However, it was not until mid-July 2021 that enterprises were allowed by Ho Chi Minh City's departments and branches to increase the price of poultry eggs by an average of VND 2,000/dozen, but still lower than the sudden increase in prices on the market.

On July 19, Ho Chi Minh City departments and agencies announced that businesses could increase the price of this item by VND2,000/dozen, but businesses voluntarily did not adjust and have kept the price stable until now.

Enterprises believe that participating in the Ho Chi Minh City market stabilization program requires each production and business unit to have a strategy that closely follows the market in order to have a production and business plan.

Moreover, in the context of "suppressing the epidemic", enterprises need to accompany the Ho Chi Minh City government to provide essential goods, stabilize the market and support people to ensure measures to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic.

According to Ms. Bui Phuong Mai, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Vifon Company, the product group is made from wheat flour, rice flour such as instant noodles, rice noodles, pho, egg noodles, pasta... that have received export orders since the beginning of the year and need to be implemented on schedule.

However, Vifon has proactively negotiated with partners and customers in the export market to create a supply source to serve the domestic market when the COVID-19 epidemic breaks out.

At the same time, Vifon also considers flexible production and business plans, ensuring product supply to the domestic market at this stage.

Sharing the same view, some businesses in the food and foodstuff industry in Ho Chi Minh City said that, due to the nature of the industry, in order to create a complete product, in addition to the main ingredients, the final production enterprise must import from many suppliers with different types of raw materials.

However, in the current situation, it is possible that this supplier may stop operating at any time and if it cannot import a certain type of raw material, the production enterprise may also have to stop operating.

Therefore, for auxiliary materials such as spices, flavors, additives, etc., the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade can flexibly allow businesses to find other types to replace or adjust the content appropriately while still ensuring that it does not affect the quality, safety, and basic characteristics of the product as before.

For example, for instant noodles, auxiliary ingredients such as dried green onions, pepper, etc. are all ordered from spice suppliers. If the imported output of the enterprise is not enough, it can proactively reduce accordingly.

Currently, in order to stabilize the market, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade assesses that protecting the modern distribution channel with about 100 supermarkets and nearly 2,860 convenience stores that are maintaining business operations and providing essential goods to the city's people is one of the important solutions.

Along with that, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade flexibly supports retailers, businesses selling online, flat prices, combos, and group purchases, in order to both ensure measures to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic and provide essential goods to local people at stable prices.

Ho Chi Minh City strives to regulate supply and demand of essential consumer goods to stabilize prices.

In addition, the transportation and collection of goods from provinces to Ho Chi Minh City has been gradually cleared more smoothly compared to when the social distancing first began, so the amount arriving at points of sale is also stable and starting to increase.

However, modern retail channels, e-commerce... still face difficulties in distributing goods to people in some residential areas in Ho Chi Minh City.

Therefore, in addition to the current form of goods supply such as direct shopping at supermarkets, websites, technology applications... many retailers also propose additional plans to coordinate and implement joint purchasing to clear the supply of essential goods to residential areas, blockades, quarantines...

Faced with this situation, the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with a number of units to organize the program "Mini supermarket 0 VND" with charity vouchers worth 200,000 VND/voucher.

With a total budget of up to 16 billion VND, this program is playing a role in providing essential consumer goods to people and students in difficult circumstances residing in 20 districts, towns, and Thu Duc City.

Similarly, the "Love Market" project of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City has been deployed to 22 districts, towns, and Thu Duc City, to ensure the supply of food and foodstuffs to people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.

The project has received and processed 7,110 orders from 5,797 households in quarantine and blockade areas with a total value of more than 1.9 billion VND.

People expect the Ho Chi Minh City government and the industry and trade sector to soon resolve difficulties in the delivery of online orders so that people can be facilitated to implement measures to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic.

[Prices in the last months of the year: Cautious and flexible price management]

Can Tho City People's Committee has just issued Official Dispatch No. 3093 to the city's functional agencies requesting to continue to strengthen management and price stabilization in the area in the last months of 2021.

Accordingly, the City People's Committee assigned the Director of the Department of Finance to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Health, People's Committees of districts, and relevant units to continue to promote management, operation, and price stabilization in the city; in which, closely monitor the developments of supply and demand, market prices, especially for raw materials, fuels, materials, essential goods as inputs for production, medical supplies for epidemic prevention, agricultural products, transportation fares, etc. to promptly have appropriate solutions to stabilize market prices.

In addition, the functional agencies focus on implementing price declaration, price posting, and publicizing price information; Tightly control the price situation of goods and services priced by the state, goods and services purchased from the state budget, public goods and services, public career services, etc.

At the same time, localities proactively have plans, or integrate them into plans and professional tasks to strengthen inspection and examination of compliance with legal regulations and price management; strictly handle violations in accordance with legal regulations.

The City People's Committee also requires competent agencies and localities to increase information and timely propaganda on market prices; publicize and make transparent information on prices, especially for raw materials, fuels, materials, essential goods that are inputs for production, medical supplies for epidemic prevention, agricultural products, transportation costs, etc.

This is to minimize the impact of price increases due to psychological factors, inflation expectations, and avoid false rumors that affect market prices and people's lives.

On August 6, the Department of Industry and Trade of Binh Phuoc province informed that the Binh Phuoc province's interdisciplinary inspection team had inspected and recorded 9 Bach Hoa Xanh stores for trading expired goods and not posting prices.

Binh Phuoc province's market management inspected Bach Hoa Xanh stores in the area

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Binh Phuoc province, in order to strengthen inspection, promptly detect, rectify and strictly handle acts of taking advantage of the COVID-19 epidemic situation to increase the selling price of essential goods, Binh Phuoc province has established 2 interdisciplinary inspection teams to inspect 27 units, including: 3 supermarkets and 24/60 Bach Hoa Xanh stores.

After inspecting 24 Bach Hoa Xanh stores in Binh Phuoc province, the authorities handled administrative violations against 9 stores for trading expired goods and not posting prices.

Strengthening inspection and handling helps supermarkets and stores raise awareness of controlling the expiry date of goods; properly posting prices and selling at the listed prices.

To ensure the supply of goods, the Department of Industry and Trade of Binh Phuoc province has directed strict implementation of epidemic prevention measures in the distribution system at 56 markets, 34 distribution enterprises, 3 retail supermarkets, 60 Bach Hoa Xanh stores and more than 500 establishments selling essential consumer goods in communes, wards, and towns in the province.

Through distribution channels, the supply of goods is abundant, there is no speculation, hoarding, or unreasonable price increases.

According to Vietnamplus.vn