Checking price listing at mineral mines: Making the construction materials market transparent

Review compliance with regulations on price listing

During the peak period of the fight to prevent and repel smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringement of intellectual property rights in the province, the Department of Construction established a team to inspect mineral exploitation activities at mines, compliance with legal regulations on business, price listing, selling at listed prices, invoices, documents, and origin of materials at construction material stores.

In addition, the Department of Construction also coordinates with functional forces to strictly handle cases of fraud in volume, quality or speculation causing price fluctuations.

Hbong stone quarry (Chu Se district) belongs to Hoa Nha Phat One Member Co., Ltd. with an exploitation capacity of about 20 thousand cubic meters of stone/year. **Photo: VT**

A field inspection at the Hbong stone quarry (Chu Se district) belonging to Hoa Nha Phat One Member Co., Ltd. showed that the prices of stone products exploited at the quarry are publicly listed with specific prices for each type, along with information on technical standards and specifications of each product type.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh - Manager of Hbong Commune Stone Quarry - said: "The quarry's mining capacity is about 20 thousand cubic meters of stone/year, mainly supplying for construction projects in the area. All types of stone are sold according to the listed price list at the quarry area. Currently, the prices of all types of stone remain stable."

Ms. Le Nguyen Thao Nguyen - representative of Hoang Chi One Member Co., Ltd. (Thanh Binh village, Ia Peng commune, Phu Thien district) said: "Currently, this area mainly exploits construction sand, the volume of plastering sand is very small. The company is selling construction sand at the price of 245,000 VND/m3. In this area, there are many mining sites, so the selling price must also compete with each other to retain customers."

Through surveys at some mines, the selling price of construction sand fluctuates between 245,000-300,000 VND/m3; the price of construction stone is 260,000-310,000 VND/m3 (depending on specifications and technical standards).

Strengthen inspection and supervision

Mr. Tran Manh Cuong - Vice Chairman of Ia Peng Commune People's Committee - informed: Currently, there is no licensed mineral mine in the commune. However, the border area has a gathering place and operating station of Hoang Chi One Member Co., Ltd. Therefore, the Commune People's Committee has directed specialized civil servants to coordinate with units to regularly inspect the exploitation of minerals in the correct locations and coordinates as licensed.

Strengthening inspection and supervision in mineral exploitation will contribute to better control of prices and mineral exploitation activities in the area. **Photo: Vu Thao**

In fact, inspections show that currently, the price listing is mainly regulated by the mines themselves. This leads to large differences between units and makes it difficult for the industry to officially announce construction material prices.

Checking the price listing at mineral mines is the basis for the Department of Construction to survey information on unusual fluctuations in construction material prices. Thereby, there is a comparison, cross-check, and identification of the cause of price increases. From there, it helps to control the price level and mineral exploitation activities in the area, avoiding the situation at times when the construction material market is scarce, pushing up construction input prices, causing damage to construction demand and affecting the progress of civil and infrastructure projects.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Phan Van Cuong - Chief Inspector of the Department of Construction - said: The Department has established working groups to promptly survey and collect information on unusual fluctuations in construction material prices. At the inspection locations, the delegation requested enterprises with sand and stone mines (licensed enterprises) to report the selling price at the mine weekly or when there is an increase compared to the listed price; check, compare, check, determine the cause of the price increase instead of announcing periodically (quarterly/monthly), switch to timely announcement weekly or when there is an increase that is not in accordance with the announced price. The timely and transparent announcement of construction material prices helps to effectively manage mineral resources.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/kiem-tra-niem-yet-gia-tai-mo-khai-thac-khoang-san-minh-bach-hoa-thi-truong-vat-lieu-xay-dung-post326742.html