Cai Lay Town: Effectiveness from changing market management model

After 5 years, Cai Lay Town, Tien Giang Province has implemented the conversion of the market management model from the State to enterprises, cooperatives (HTX) to manage, operate and exploit the market. Thereby, it has promoted the role of the market in promoting trade of goods and increasing local budget revenue. At the same time, it has created conditions for business units to proactively exploit all potentials and advantages to invest in building a market that operates in a civilized and modern direction.

Vice Chairman of Cai Lay Town People's Committee Doan Bao Ngoan awarded Certificates of Merit to collectives that performed well in market management and business. Photo: PHUONG TUYEN

Before the conversion, Cai Lay town had 13 markets, including: 1 class I market, 1 class II market and 11 class III markets, with a total area of nearly 60,000 m2, land value of nearly 200 billion VND, total assets in the markets of about 47 billion VND, investment value for new construction and repair of more than 20.5 billion VND.

Management has not received due attention, so many aspects are still limited and economic efficiency is not high; the salary regime for market managers is very low, not encouraging workers to be committed and responsible for their work. The market management units and individuals do not have a high sense of responsibility, especially in the management of assets at the market, the exploitation of revenue sources, saving expenses, fire prevention and fighting, environmental sanitation and food safety still have many limitations.

Based on the above situation, in 2018, the People's Committee of Cai Lay Town requested the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, the Department of Industry and Trade and the Provincial People's Committee to approve the pilot implementation of the conversion of business models, cooperatives, and market exploitation to create a new management mechanism and overcome previous limitations.

Cai Lay Town People's Committee has piloted bidding to select enterprises and cooperatives to participate in the management of 4 markets including: 1 class II market (My Phuoc Tay market) and 3 class III markets: Tan Binh market (Ward 3), Tam Long market (Ward 5) and Long Khanh market.

In 2020, the Town People's Committee continued to convert the remaining 5 markets. Up to now, Cai Lay Town has converted 9/13 markets. The time for private bidding to exploit the market, each cycle is from 3 to 5 years, depending on each market.

The plan for organizing, managing, operating and exploiting the market is implemented quite seriously, demonstrated through the arrangement and layout of product lines, counters and stalls in a reasonable manner, ensuring science and aesthetics; significantly reducing the phenomenon of small traders buying and selling and encroaching on the aisles.

The highlight is that thanks to the close and determined coordination between the People's Committees of communes, wards and enterprises, the cooperative has basically ended the situation of small traders using kiosks for both business and living in the market, which has not been handled before.

In addition, environmental hygiene is paid more attention to, ensuring the market is clean and tidy; order in the market, in front of the market, and around the market has changed compared to before, overcoming the encroachment that causes traffic congestion, especially during peak times of holidays and Tet.

Fire prevention and fighting work is constantly strengthened and upgraded to ensure safety in the market; food hygiene and safety are focused on, most markets have invested in upgrading stalls; and product quality inspection is always guaranteed.

Vice Chairman of Cai Lay Town People's Committee Doan Bao Ngoan said that since handing over the management, business and exploitation of the market to cooperatives and enterprises, the State has collected annual budget without having to spend on market management costs as before.

According to the estimated price before and after the bidding for the conversion of 9 markets, the town budget from the markets increased by over 1.6 billion VND/year. In addition, the market is owned by a cooperative or enterprise, so the market management work is often performed by enterprises and cooperatives 24/7; the management, business, exploitation and preservation of market assets are better.

Market asset preservation is closely and regularly monitored; all assets in use, if damaged, will be promptly repaired and remedied by the enterprise and cooperative.

In the past time, 6/9 enterprise and cooperative markets have invested nearly 1 billion VND in regular repairs at the market; repairing and upgrading fire prevention and fighting systems, drainage systems, building roads around the market, building and repairing toilets, parking lots, and erecting roofs for small traders to buy and sell.

Typically, Tien Phat Cooperative invested and repaired with a budget of more than 450 million VND in My Phuoc Tay market, My Hanh Trung market and Ward 3 market; Huu Tai enterprise invested 370 million VND in Long Khanh market, Tam Long market; Tan Phu agricultural cooperative invested more than 135 million VND...

Vice Chairman of My Phuoc Tay Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Het said that after 4 years of piloting the conversion of the market management, business and exploitation model, up to now, the conversion of the market management, business and exploitation model has basically been responded to and participated in by small traders; the discipline, civilization and culture of small traders at the market have been changed; the material facilities at the market have also been invested in more spaciously than before.

My Phuoc Tay Market has been invested in construction and upgrading, ensuring business activities to serve the needs of people in the commune to exchange and buy and sell goods. The conversion of the market management model in My Phuoc Tay commune has initially brought about practical results, contributing to the good exploitation of facilities, stabilizing budget revenue and investing in repairing market infrastructure; at the same time contributing to saving budget expenditures in the small maintenance and repair items.

Director of Tien Phat Cooperative Le Duy Khanh said that in 2018, the Town People's Committee organized a pilot model of cooperative enterprises managing, operating and exploiting markets. The cooperative boldly participated in bidding to manage, operate and exploit markets. As a result, the cooperative won the bid and is managing and operating 3 markets: My Phuoc Tay market, Ward 3 market, and My Hanh Trung market.

The Cooperative has invested its own capital to regularly repair assets in the market. In particular, recently, following the direction of the Commune People's Committee, the Cooperative has spent money to remove encroaching roofs and umbrellas, ensuring the market is truly beautiful, especially My Phuoc Tay market and My Hanh Trung market.

Through preliminary assessment of the markets, the initial management is basically good, typically the markets: My Phuoc Tay, Tam Long, My Hanh Trung, Tan Binh, Long Khanh, Tan Phu... Thus, with the new management model, the initiative, creativity, and sense of responsibility for work are greatly enhanced. Gradually build the markets in the area to operate in the direction of markets that ensure conditions of food hygiene and safety, civilization, and modernity. 4/9 markets have been recognized as meeting the criteria of cultural markets.

HA NAM

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