The recent rains have hit the output of fruits, vegetables and other farm produce, causing their prices to go up.

But according to a Saigon Co.op spokesperson, Co.opmart and Co.opXtra supermarket chains are collaborating with distributors to offer attractive discounts on high-quality agricultural items to ease the pressure on customers.

For instance, under a programme called Tuan le Nong san Viet (A Week of Vietnamese Farm Produce) from June 12 to 18, the supermarkets’ outlets nation-wide are offering discounts of 15-25 per cent on fruits and vegetables meeting safe food standards and VietGap, including katuk, bitter melon, white cabbage, carrot, gourds, Ly Son and Hai Duong garlic, sweet potato, cucumber, water spinach, winged yam, onion, cassava, pachyrhizus, and carol lettuce.

Readymade whole duck and seasoned chicken thigh quarter, salmon belly, seasoned featherback fish paste coated on sugar cane/lemongrass sticks, and fried salmon belly are also discounted by 10-25 per cent.

Four groups of Co.op Organic brand of organic products, consisting of 10 kinds of fruits and vegetables, ecological shrimp, basa fish and two kinds of rice and all meeting USDA and EU organic standards, have their prices unchanged.

The average price of the vegetables is VND60,000 a kilogramme, 10-30 per cent lower than similar products on the market.

Do Quoc Huy, Saigon Co.op’s marketing director, said though the weather has affected production and caused difficulties in transportation and preservation, Saigon Co .op, thanks to early preparations for the promotion, farmers and suppliers are determined to reduce prices to share the burden with consumers.

Just last week Co.opmart and Co.opXtra had co-ordinated with farmers to offer discounts of around 20 per cent on 20 high-quality agricultural items such as Da Lat potato, pumpkin, cucumber, cabbage, tomato, spinach, and Malabar nightshade. — VNS