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Traders in Binh Dien Wholesale Market on January 15. (Photo: SGGP) |
Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc praised the Market Management Board who has cooperated with the HCMC Food Safety Management Board to strictly monitor incoming food each night. Traders in all wholesale markets closely observe food safety regulations, including corresponding bills to prove the origin of their goods and quick on banned substances.
However, there still exists a serious uncontrollable situation of spontaneous stalls around these markets like the ones along Nguyen Van Linh Street and Quan Trong Linh Street, which are bustling with trading activities.
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Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc is inspecting food safety at Binh Dien Wholesale Market. (Photo: SGGP) |
Director Phan Thanh Tan of Binh Dien Wholesale Market Management Co. explained that the weak handling of these spontaneous produce stalls here is because the market area lies on the border between District 8 and Binh Chanh District. Without the cooperation of both districts, this situation can never be eliminated.
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Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc is inspecting food safety at Hoc Mon Wholesale Market. (Photo: SGGP) |
The neighborhoods of Thu Duc Wholesale Market and Hoc Mon Wholesale Market are facing the same case. As they are under the charge of different localities, which lack collaboration to completely handle such disorderly situations, spontaneous produce stalls are never effectively erased.
In addition, the sanction of such law violations is not tough enough to be a deterrent (only VND40,000-50,000 (US$1.7-2.1) per violation), while those traders can switch their business locations continuously to avoid that fine. Some household businesses are also given a trade permit, so it is impossible to punish time.
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Traders in Hoc Mon Wholesale Market on January 15. (Photo: SGGP) |
Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc asked that the HCMC Food Safety Management Board, the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, and the local authorities must work together to stop this situation immediately since it negatively affects food safety, public security, and the state budget. It is necessary to create a fair environment for market traders by eliminating such spontaneously stalls.
However, if the market is too crowded, traders should be given suitable conditions to do their business outside, as long as they observe the law (having a business permit, paying tax, ensuring food safety).
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Traders in Thu Duc Wholesale Market on January 15. (Photo: SGGP) |
In related news, the management boards of wholesale produce markets in HCMC, as Tet Holiday is coming near, the volume of produce enters these markets in surplus and is able to satisfy the high demand of city dwellers.
In Hoc Mon Wholesale Market, since the beginning of December of the Lunar Year, the produce volume coming has reached over 2,500 tonnes per night, a rise of 9 percent compared to the yearly average. Particularly, it is estimated that on the last 6 days of the Lunar Year, this amount will grow by 20 percent.
The situation is the same in Thu Duc Wholesale Market, where the volume of transported vegetables is 1,800-2,000 tonnes per night (a rise of 20 percent as opposed to normal days), and fruits 2,200-4,000 tonnes (a double).
In Binh Dien Wholesale Market, in the last 2 weeks of the Lunar Year, the amount goods has increased by 20-35 percent, and even by 30-50 percent at peak hours from December 26-27 to reach 3,800-4,800 tonnes a night.
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Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc is inspecting food safety at Thu Duc Wholesale Market. (Photo: SGGP) |
Prices of popular Tet-items should rise significantly from December 25-28 of the Lunar Year, focusing on seafood, fruits, flowers. Others will still have a milder growth, and some with surplus amounts might see a price drop.
This is a positive signal, according to Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc, because it displays a strong economic recovery of HCMC after the 4th outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. He hoped that the produce monitoring and management tasks will be carried out strictly by the management boards of the three markets to maintain food safety for the community as Tet is coming.
