Green vegetables are scarce and prices have increased sharply after storms and floods.

It has been more than a month since storm No. 3 passed, but until now, the price of food, especially green vegetables, is still high and shows no sign of "cooling down" because the supply is still scarce.

Storm No. 3 and the impact of the storm's circulation have damaged many vegetable areas in the province, especially green vegetables such as mustard greens, Malabar spinach, water spinach, spinach, tomatoes, and herbs. Accordingly, the supply of green vegetables to the market has decreased sharply, causing the prices of vegetables and tubers in the markets to increase. Through surveys of temporary markets and central markets in communes, wards, and towns in Phu Ly city, it can be seen that the prices of vegetables and tubers have increased by 50% compared to before the storm. The same type of vegetable has a different price every day and each stall sells it at a different price. In particular, many types of vegetables have increased by 5-7 times compared to before. Specifically, water spinach and spinach have increased from 5,000 - 6,000 VND/bunch to 12,000 - 15,000 VND/bunch; Malabar spinach increased from 4,000-5,000 VND/bunch to 10,000-12,000 VND/bunch; various types of mustard greens increased from 12,000 VND/kg to 30,000 VND/kg; lettuce and tomatoes increased from 20,000-25,000 VND/kg to 35,000-40,000 VND/kg. The strongest price increase was for spices such as dill, green onions, coriander... with an increase of 3-5 times compared to before storm No. 3. Currently, dill is sold for 20,000-25,000 VND/tael, green onions are priced at 8,000 VND/tael. The prices of tubers and fruits such as squash, pumpkin, squash, and potatoes have increased slightly, from 10-20% compared to before. In addition, the prices of some fresh foods such as pork and chicken also increased by 10,000 - 20,000 VND/kg compared to before the storm.

The skyrocketing price of green vegetables in recent days has made people wonder about choosing food to prepare meals for their families. Many people have to cut down on the amount of vegetables and some spices that are not really necessary to reduce the cost of a meal. Ms. Pham Thi Thuan, Hai Ba Trung ward, Phu Ly city said: It is not uncommon for the price of green vegetables to increase after each heavy rain. However, this time, the price of green vegetables has increased too much and lasted for many days. Many times, I even had to go to many vegetable stalls in Tran Hung Dao ward market to buy a few sprigs of dill and fresh onions to cook fish for 10,000 VND. In fact, the cost of tomatoes, spices and raw vegetables to cook fish is much higher than the cost of buying fish. To have enough green vegetables for the whole family, I often have to consider a lot before going to the market so as not to spend too much on food during the month.

Consumers choose to buy green vegetables at Winmart+ supermarket, Ly Thuong Kiet street, Phu Ly city.

The scarcity of green vegetables not only affects people's lives and spending plans, but also makes it difficult for small traders to find supplies to maintain their daily business. According to small traders, they do not benefit from the increase in vegetable prices after each storm, but on the contrary, they have to import vegetables at high prices and consider the lowest profit to stimulate consumption. There are times when small traders accept to sell some types of vegetables at cost to maintain business and "retain" customers. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ket, a vegetable trader at the temporary market area, group 6, Le Hong Phong ward, Phu Ly city, is one of them. Previously, at around 3 am every day, Ms. Ket got up to go to Phu Ly night market to buy vegetables to sell. Since storm No. 3, she has had to go to the market from 1 am to find vegetables throughout the market to have enough for a truck. Ms. Ket said: Currently, the quantity of many types of green vegetables imported to the store is only 30% compared to the time before the storm, the quality is also worse, but the selling price is much higher. Therefore, it is very difficult for small traders like us to import goods to sell. The supply of vegetables is scarce, so I have to call the contacts to order from the previous afternoon until early the next morning to get vegetables to get. There are days when vegetable prices are so high, people rush to buy tubers and fruits to replace green vegetables in their meals, causing me to have unsold goods and have to throw away hundreds of tons of vegetables, considering that selling vegetables all day is not profitable. To limit losses, in recent days I prioritize importing and selling tubers and fruits because the source of goods is diverse, the price increases less.

Faced with the scarcity of green vegetable supply and high prices, supermarkets and shopping malls are also having difficulty importing goods. In recent days, supermarkets have had to contact many green vegetable suppliers from provinces, cities and regions across the country to diversify their supply sources, ensuring that they import enough goods to meet consumer demand. Customers themselves do not have many choices for green vegetables because supermarkets and retailers only sell a few basic types of vegetables in much smaller quantities than before the storm. Mr. Cao Minh Duong, manager of the Winmart+ supermarket system in Ha Nam, said: The fact that many vegetable areas in the province and other provinces and cities were flooded and damaged by floods has affected the source of imported goods for sale of the entire Winmart+ store system in general, and Winmart+ in Ha Nam in particular. Winmart+ has proactively connected with gardeners in all provinces of the Central and Northern mountainous regions to import green vegetables, commonly cabbage and various types of vegetables to serve consumers. However, these days, the amount of green vegetables sold at Winmart+ stores is only 50-70% compared to before.

It is forecasted that the supply of green vegetables will continue to be scarce in the coming days and will not be abundant overnight. Traders and workers are hopeful that with the efforts of localities and farmers in restoring production after the storm, the supply of vegetables and tubers will soon return to normal. When the supply is abundant and prices are stable, consumption will be promoted, bringing benefits to both consumers and producers.

Nguyen Oanh

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/kinh-te/thuong-mai-dich-vu/rau-xanh-khan-hiem-tang-gia-manh-sau-bao-lu-137268.html