The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held an online conference with 19 Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Southern region to promote agricultural production and supply in the context of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview of the meeting at the MARD bridge (Hanoi)

The conference was chaired by Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Also attending were the Special Working Group on COVID-19 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade; Agricultural Industry Associations; Fruit and Vegetable Association; Vietnam Retail Association, etc.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, since the beginning of July 2021, the prices of many foods and foodstuffs in Ho Chi Minh City have increased sharply. Specifically, food prices increased by 0.46%; food prices increased by 0.37% compared to the previous month. In particular, vegetables and fruits increased sharply due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, making it difficult to transport goods, and the supply of vegetables to the market decreased (cabbage increased by 18.53%, kohlrabi increased by 5.28%, green beans increased by 22.78%, water spinach increased by 5.38%, other fresh vegetables increased by 5.63%).

Meanwhile, the prices of all kinds of meat tended to decrease (pork decreased by 1.92%; beef decreased by 0.75%), the prices of eggs increased by 2.36% - 3.41%, the prices of many seafood products mostly increased by 6% - 20% because the amount of fresh seafood to the market decreased by 10% on average compared to the previous month.

Agro Processing and Market Development Authority said that participating in the supply of food in Ho Chi Minh City, enterprises currently account for 30% - 40% of the market share; Wholesale market traders (vegetables, fruits, seafood, livestock meat) account for 60% -70% of the market share. The remaining enterprises and cooperatives that produce food and foodstuffs themselves at stores account for 10% - 20% of the market share.

In general, wholesale markets and traditional markets have temporarily suspended operations. People focus on buying food and foodstuffs from supermarket systems and convenience stores. Due to the need to meet the conditions of social distancing and banning large gatherings, people still have to queue for a long time to buy essential goods.

The most notable issue is the circulation of goods. Vehicles transporting agricultural products when traveling on national highways, provincial roads, and district roads must comply with quarantine and many inspections at checkpoints, increasing transportation costs.

The conference went straight to the issue of removing difficulties and congestion in the circulation of agricultural products and goods supplied from southern provinces and cities to Ho Chi Minh City. Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the southern provinces and cities all said that the agricultural product market in the South is facing many shortcomings and contradictions. There is a huge surplus of agricultural products in the localities, leading to a drop in prices of some key agricultural products with large output, affecting the lives of farmers and growers. Meanwhile, the market in Ho Chi Minh City is scarce, prices are high, making the lives of the city's people even more difficult and miserable.

At the conference, many urgent solutions were proposed by the localities, hoping that the Ministry's working group would coordinate to solve them to promote the consumption of agricultural products for farmers, and provide enough food and foodstuffs for Ho Chi Minh City to ensure safety and quality.

Raising issues at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that the meeting raised the issue of local production and supply, production human resources and plans for goods circulation between provinces to ensure production promotion and remove difficulties and obstacles in circulation, especially in the context that 19 southern provinces and cities have begun implementing Directive 16.

Ensuring supply for the area, continuing to support Ho Chi Minh City

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam emphasized 5 immediate tasks for southern provinces and cities to ensure that the agricultural supply chain is not broken.

First, the provinces have 2 tasks regarding production supply: First, ensuring supply for the area; second, continuing to support Ho Chi Minh City.

Second, the provinces need to report to the working group on the situation of slaughterhouses. If a slaughterhouse has an employee infected with COVID-19, the entire supply chain will be disrupted. Provinces need to review, especially Ho Chi Minh City.

Third, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have created maximum conditions for the supply of agricultural products, provinces must supply both consumer products and production materials.

Fourth, provinces should coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to strengthen the development of the agricultural supply chain. A chain should be formed to demonstrate the role of the State.

Fifth, human resources for production and circulation are in short supply, which needs to be resolved soon.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam noted that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have created maximum conditions for the supply of agricultural products, so provinces must not only supply consumer products but also focus on production materials. Along with that, the southern provinces should coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to strengthen the development of the agricultural supply chain, and form a chain that demonstrates the role of the State...

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said that the rainy season is coming, so the provinces and cities need to pay attention to not letting the shortage of goods happen and need to establish a focal point to create an agricultural supply chain to ensure food safety for Ho Chi Minh City. "We cannot let shortages lead to food insecurity" - the leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development emphasized.

In addition, the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in the provinces and cities should pay attention to promoting e-commerce, thereby relieving the pressure on supply. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has established a Working Group and will monitor the agricultural supply situation throughout the period when the provinces implement social distancing.../.