Speaking about supply and demand of commodities and stability in the end of the year at a yesterday conference with the Party Hanoi Committee’s Commission for Culture and Ideology, Deputy Head of the Department of Industry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan said that the capital city needs around 44,000 tons of meat in the occasion of the country’s biggest holiday.
Presently, Hanoi’s supply is from domestic farms, from other localities in the country and imports. However, Hanoians dislike meat from alien countries; hence, the city has imported just 64.44 kilogram of pork statistically in 11 months and even no import of pork in December.
In reality, there is still some distrust of the chilled meat in plastic packages. Moreover, importers have just bought bones and not good meat.
Worse, pork imports into China have also rocketed after the havoc caused to the industry by African swine flu resulting in price of pork leaping from US$2 to US$4.3 per kilogram, said Ms. Lan.
She said around 22,400 tons of pork must be supplied next month to satisfy Hanoians’ demand.
Deputy Head Tran Thi Phuong Lan says at the conference ( Photo: SGGP)
Accordingly, to curb shortage of pork in the country’s big holiday, the Department of Industry and Trade sent document to 20 provinces in the north region asking to prepare enough pork or import more meat to ensure the supplies.
Noticeably, the high prices have also led to a decline in consumption of about 5-20 percent in traditional markets and supermarkets statistically because people buy chicken or other meats instead.
To make sure the supplies of pork in Hanoi in Tet holiday, the Department will closely work with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Customs and related agencies to link slaughterhouses and farms in order to provide pork for people.
Severe penalties were proposed on speculators who take advantage of the situation to push pork prices up.
