With the Tet (Lunar New Year) approaching, the managements of HCM City’s wholesale markets have been instructed to monitor the market and prices and keep traders informed, the city Department of Industry and Trade has said.

Pham Thanh Kien, its director, said prices should be kept steady instead of having them plummet before Tet, which would cause customers to wait for that and leave their goods unsold.

Forecasts of demand have been provided to traders, he said.

The managements should monitor the market for pricing and supply anomalies and preclude any surplus or shortage of goods, he said.

Last Tet a huge quantity of flowers were discarded by traders due to oversupply and a deterioration in quality because of the long distances they had to be transported.

Nguyen Nhu, deputy director of the Thu Duc Agromarket Management and Business Company, which runs the wholesale Thu Duc Agro Market, said most traders at the market are waiting to buy closer to Tet.

Supply of fruits commonly bought during Tet such as mango, custard apple, mandarin, pomelo, and dragon fruit is expected to fall since unseasonable weather has affected yields and quality.

The volume of flowers coming into the market will be around 290 tonnes a day, 10.8 per cent lower that last year.

The managements of the city’s three wholesale markets, Binh Dien, Thu Duc and Hoc Mon, have said that traders are committed to not using chemicals, additives and preservatives that are harmful to health.

Goods entering the markets have to come with clear origins and proper documentation and certification, they warned.

Agricultural products, seafood and meat account for 60-70 per cent of the goods sold in the three wholesale markets.

Some 15,000-16,000 tonnes of goods are expected to enter the market every day from today until February 3 as demand steadily rises until Tet. - VNS