Floods have slightly reduced the amount of vegetables coming to Ho Chi Minh City, but prices have fluctuated strongly.

VTV.vn - Prolonged rain and floods have caused a local decrease in the supply of vegetables in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days, but the prices of some items in the market have still increased "dramatically".

At the regular socio-economic press conference on the afternoon of November 20, Mr. Ngo Hong Y, Head of the Trade Department - Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, said that the flood situation in key vegetable raw material areas has affected about 20% of the output to Ho Chi Minh City in the past few days, and may continue in the coming days.

Representative of Department of Industry and Trade informed about the situation of importing fruits and vegetables to Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, the City relies on three main supply regions: Lam Dong province, the Mekong Delta provinces and the Southeast region.

Lam Dong (Da Lat, Don Duong, Duc Trong) is the area that supplies 60-70% of leafy vegetables. However, since the beginning of November, a series of production areas in Lam Dong have continuously experienced heavy rains, landslides, and traffic disruptions. Hundreds of hectares of vegetables have been flooded, crushed, or rotten.

"Many areas of leafy vegetables - which account for a large proportion of the daily food basket of the city's residents - were damaged, with an average loss of about 20%. Some important mountain passes connecting to the city were also eroded, prolonging transportation time," said Mr. Nguyen Hong Y.

Not only Lam Dong, but also the Mekong Delta provinces – a major source of short-term vegetables and fruits – have been severely affected. Many localities have been continuously flooded, with unusual high tides and unseasonal rains causing the output of spices, squash, gourds, cucumbers, etc. to decrease by 20-30%.

In addition, a portion of additional output from the Central Highlands, Southeast and the North also decreased due to extreme weather, making the overall supply not as abundant as in previous months.

Output slightly decreased but selling price fluctuated strongly

According to statistics at three wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh City, the amount of agricultural products imported last week fluctuated between 6,500 and 7,500 tons per day, of which vegetables reached 3,500 and 3,900 tons per day. On the evening of November 19 alone, the amount of vegetables imported to the market was recorded to have decreased by about 7% compared to the average level.

Although the volume of goods remains relatively stable thanks to other import channels, Mr. Nguyen Hong Y said the market is facing a local shortage of some leafy vegetables, causing retail prices at traditional markets to increase sharply.

"Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, water spinach, etc. are seeing a common increase of 10-30%. The main reason is due to reduced output in growing areas, increased harvesting and transportation costs, and the lack of replacement supplies," said Mr. Y.

At many stalls in Tan Dinh, Hoa Hung, and Thi Nghe markets, people have recorded an increase of up to 10,000 VND/kg depending on the type. Lettuce, which used to cost 25,000-30,000 VND/kg, has now increased to 35,000-40,000 VND/kg. Water spinach has increased from 8,000-10,000 VND/bunch to 12,000-20,000 VND.

Prices of many vegetables at markets in Ho Chi Minh City increased by 20,000-30,000 VND per kilogram in November.

Meanwhile, at the supermarket system, the increase was lower due to businesses participating in the price stabilization program. Some vegetables, especially tubers such as carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, etc., remained stable in price or only increased slightly due to less affected production.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, in the past three years, extreme weather conditions have occurred more frequently, from hail, landslides to prolonged flooding, posing high risks to agricultural production.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Y said that key provinces such as Lam Dong, where hundreds of hectares of greenhouse vegetables and highland vegetables are grown, are under great pressure as rainfall far exceeds the average of many years.

"The transportation system connecting the vegetable region and Ho Chi Minh City depends heavily on Bao Loc Pass, Chuoi Pass, etc. When landslides occur, just a few hours of congestion will cause the amount of goods entering the city to decrease immediately. This is a major bottleneck in the supply chain that needs to be considered long-term," he said.

The sudden shortage of supply not only affects retail prices, but also causes difficulties for restaurants, collective kitchens, and industrial catering units.

Deploying many solutions to reduce price pressure and ensure supply

Faced with unfavorable developments, the City Department of Industry and Trade is closely coordinating with provinces to regulate goods sources, find alternative sources and stabilize the market such as encouraging additional imports, increasing stabilized goods, monitoring the market, and coordinating circulation regulation. The Department has worked with Lam Dong province and the Mekong Delta provinces to continuously update the damage situation, harvest demand and transportation capacity. The City is also increasing imports from Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc... to make up for short-term shortages.

"We require large distribution systems to proactively expand their purchasing areas and not depend on a single source. Diversification will help reduce market pressure when there are weather fluctuations," said Mr. Y.

Source: https://vtv.vn/mua-lu-khien-luong-rau-cu-ve-tp-ho-chi-minh-giam-nhe-nhung-gia-bien-dong-manh-10025112016313932.htm