The Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City said that limited means of transportation made the supply chain difficult, prices at traditional markets increased 1.5-2 times compared to before the social distancing.
At the conference to review 7 days of social distancing in the whole city according to Directive 16 held on the afternoon of July 15, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc said that the city's supply chain faced difficulties due to limited means of transportation. Prices at traditional markets fluctuated strongly, increasing 1.5-2 times compared to before the social distancing. In particular, prices at supermarket chains such as Saigon Co.op and Satra remained stable, unchanged.
Food prices increased 1.5-2 times compared to normal days.
Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Department has worked with units such as Tiki, Lazada, Sendo to agree to sell vegetables and fruits on e-commerce platforms, using their own warehouses, and these units have agreed.
According to Mr. Vu, before implementing Directive 16, Ho Chi Minh City residents needed 7,000 tons of food every day. When the 3 wholesale markets temporarily stopped operating, the supply was difficult, and output decreased by 50%.
Currently, supermarkets and businesses are stabilizing their scale and supply capacity, but compared to people's needs, there is a shortage of about 1,000 tons of vegetables, tubers, fruits, fresh foods... every day.
The Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with Thu Duc City and Hoc Mon District to find solutions to exploit areas near wholesale markets as transit points for goods. So far, it has been in operation for 3 days, receiving 100 tons of vegetables, tubers, fruits from localities.
The Department of Industry and Trade also encourages small traders to trade online and transport goods. In particular, Mr. Vu said that the Department is planning to mobilize postal, delivery, and logistics companies to add 1,000 sales locations.
"Tomorrow, July 16, it will officially launch, using the existing store system of the operating supplier, mobilizing 7 logistics companies to operate independently with these points of sale with a set capacity of 1,000 tons," Mr. Vu informed.
The Department of Industry and Trade said that it will work with districts to evaluate the reopening of traditional markets that meet the conditions for epidemic prevention.
"Currently, districts are having difficulty in resources, we will discuss and study the markets that will operate under a self-management model, minimizing the number of stalls to implement 5K, instructing small traders to sell at the same price, not transacting for long periods, continuing to think about applying information technology, gradually putting markets with sufficient conditions into operation to help people with average and low incomes have access to vegetables and fruits," Mr. Vu said.
According to VTC News