Ho Thi Kim Thoa, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said the department maintained enough supplies of essential goods, including rice, food, vegetables and fruits, to provide for the public on the occasion.— Photo nld

Ha NOI (Biz Hub)— The capital city will see an adequate supply of goods for the 2014 Tet festival, according to the People's Committee of Ha Noi.

Officials said the city would also ensure that the supply of needed goods matches the local demand to stabilise prices of goods during the festival.

The committee asked businesses to sign contracts with partners in other provinces and cities to guarantee adequate supplies were maintained.

They were expected to sell 5,500 tonnes of rice, 900 tonnes of pork, 450 tonnes of chicken, six million eggs and 300 tonnes of frozen seafood during the months before, during and after Tet.

Pork would be transported from Ninh Binh, Nghe An and Bac Ninh provinces, chicken from Vinh Phuc and Bac Giang provinces, and vegetables from Vinh Phuc and Hai Duong provinces and Da Lat City.

Some 13 businesses were joining the city's price stabilisation programme and would sell goods at their 610 shops around the city, including 278 shops in suburban regions.

The city has required trading enterprises in the city to expand their distribution systems, while plans called for opening three new supermarkets in the city by the Tet festival.

The Ha Noi Industry and Trade Department said, in the months before, during and after Tet festival in 2014, consumption demand of the public in Ha Noi was expected to rise 15-18 per cent, compared to the rest of the year, as demand for rice, foods, confectionery and beverages surged.

The department expected prices of essential goods to increase in the months approaching the Tet festival.

Ho Thi Kim Thoa, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said the department maintained enough supplies of essential goods, including rice, food, vegetables and fruits, to provide for the public on the occasion.

She added that these supplies can prevent speculation on essential goods and rising prices, since demand for those products would be high and speculators might hold onto essential goods and sell them at unreasonable prices.

Further, Ha Noi authorities should promote inspections and control of the market to ensure market prices remain stable, she said.

Thoa said that since early January to February of 2014, consumption was expected to be high for the Tet festival, so there would be a good opportunity for producers and traders to promote their production and trading of goods.

Nguyen Thi Nhu Mai, deputy director of the Ha Noi Industry and Trade Department, said so far this year the local economy had faced many challenges and the market displayed complicated fluctuations.

In the first 11 months of this year, total sales of goods and services in Ha Noi recorded a year-on-year increase of 13.5 per cent to VND1.49 trillion (US$70.9 million). — VNS