Actively stockpiling, ensuring supply
After suspending the operation of all traditional markets to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the Department of Industry and Trade of Can Tho city has “brought the market to the street” and arranged stores with stabilised prices at five locations in Phong Dien, Binh Thuy and Ninh Kieu districts. The storage area is spacious and airy, ensuring safe conditions for pandemic prevention and control while both buyers and sellers strictly adhere to 5K regulations.
According to Director of Department of Industry and Trade of Kien Giang province Nguyen Viet Hoang, goods supply enterprises have committed to ensuring the sufficient supply of goods and not to increase prices during the social distancing period.
“Kien Giang has developed a plan to ensure the supply of essential goods according to many scenarios and assigned local enterprises to implement the plan. Currently, the province is implementing level 3, under which stockpiled goods must be sufficient to last 21 days,” Hoang noted.
Director of Co.opmart Vi Thanh supermarket in Hau Giang province Tran Trung Hieu said that the supermarket system has fully imported goods which are now quite abundant, especially vegetables, tubers and fruits. In the near future, the warehouses of the Co.opmart system will be strengthened, so supply is sure to be stable.
The supermarket is also increasing its human resources to serve online sales and door-to-door delivery so that customers will have more choice when shopping amid the pandemic, Hieu added.
Permanent Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee Truong Canh Tuyen said that nine enterprises have participated in stabilising the market with over 8,150 tonnes of goods worth approximately VND200 billion. In addition, eight districts have implemented plans to store goods up to 26,870 tonnes to serve local demand.
Facilitating the flow of goods
With the approval of the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City, from July 19, the DP Green Technology Company is using passenger high-speed trains to transport vegetables and tubers from Tien Giang to Ho Chi Minh City.
General Director of the company Tran Song Hai said that it only takes three hours to transport goods from Tien Giang to Ho Chi Minh City and the company will support the transportation of goods until there is no longer a need.
The Department of Transport has also issued nearly 40,000 certificates (“green lines”) for vehicles of 68 transport units to ship essential goods from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces in the Southeast and Southwest regions, making the delivery of goods much faster and more convenient.
Due to its adjacency to Ho Chi Minh City, dozens of agricultural cooperatives involved in vegetable production and rice enterprises in Long An province have chosen these “green lines” to transport goods to the city.
Ben Tre province also stands ready to transport goods to Ho Chi Minh City through the use of “green lines” for its vehicles.
Abundant goods to be produced
Currently, provinces in the Mekong Delta region are in harvest season of agricultural products such as rice, vegetables, and fruit with abundant output. Besides the supply of agricultural products for local consumption, a large amount of products still need to be consumed in big cities and exported.
Director of the Soc Trang Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Huynh Ngoc Nha said the province will harvest about 352,000 tonnes of rice in July and August and 106,000 tonnes of vegetables while domestic consumption in the province stands at just over 90,000 tonnes of agricultural products of all kinds.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Giang province Nguyen Si Lam also said that agricultural production in the province is currently abundant. From now to September, about 890,000 tonnes of rice will be harvested in addition to the harvest average of 83,000 tonnes of vegetables each month while the province only consumes about 30% of its total output.
Meanwhile, by the end of July, Can Tho will have harvested more than 439,000 tonnes or rice, over 7,500 tonnes of vegetables, 455 tonnes of corn, about 59 tonnes of beans and more than 10,000 tonnes of fruits.
