Abundant supply of agricultural products and food for Tet

In almost all localities, farmers are actively raising livestock, aquaculture and taking care of vegetables to serve consumers' high demand during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the supply of agricultural products and food in the market is abundant at the moment.

In Hanoi, there have been dozens of production, businesses and cooperative units participating in the price stabilisation programme, with the total registered amount of goods worth 18 trillion VND, bringing essential foods such as rice, beef, pork, chicken meat, seafood, poultry eggs, processed foods, vegetables, fresh fruits, agricultural products, dried forest products, etc. to more than 20,000 selling points in supermarkets, convenience stores, specialised stores, and traditional markets.

Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, businesses have prepared supplies, including many food products, necessities and other essential goods with a value of more than 19 trillion VND.

In the northern province of Bac Giang, the value of goods provided by businesses and business households serving Tet is about 3.83 trillion VND; including 1,872 tonnes of rice and beans of all kinds; 2,177 tonnes of cooking oil, fish sauce, MSG; 10,931 tonnes of meat, fish, vegetables, tubers, fruits, etc.

In terms of vegetables, Head of the Hanoi Cultivation and Plant Protection Sub-Department Nguyen Manh Phuong said that the city has more than 13,500 hectares of vegetables of all kinds, of which nearly 50% are specialised vegetables, with a scale of 20 hectares. The city has implemented many solutions to maintain production and ensure supply.

In specialised vegetable areas such as: Van Noi (Dong Anh District), Thanh Da (Phuc Tho District), Van Phu (Thuong Tin District), Khai Thai (Phu Xuyen District), many kinds of vegetables and tubers (cabbage, kohlrabi, potatoes, cauliflower) have been sold.

In the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, in the 2021-2022 winter-spring crop, the whole province has planted 24,550 hectares of vegetables, the expected output is more than 850,000 tonnes. Up to now, some varieties of long-term vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, onions..., are being cared for by people. These vegetables will mainly serve the Tet market, and are expected to be harvested from January 14 to February 20.

Regarding livestock products, Director of the Department of Livestock Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Duong Tat Thang said that in 2021, livestock and poultry herds were restored and developed. Currently, the pig herd has about 28 million heads, the poultry herd is about 525 million heads, and the cow herd is about 6.5 million heads.

The output of live meat of all kinds is estimated at 6.69 million tonnes, up 3.2 percent, egg production is more than 17.5 billion, up 5.1 percent compared to 2020. Therefore, it can be said that the food supply is abundant. Particularly in Hanoi, the output of live meat of all kinds reached 405,417 tonnes, up 7% over the same period last year.

According to a survey conducted by reporters, the price of seafood in the markets in Hanoi has been tending to increase slightly. The price of common carp is from 90,000 to 110,000 VND per kg, tilapia from 50,000 to 60,000 VND/kg, and shrimp from 250,000 to 400,000 VND/kg; while the price of beef increased from 270,000 to 320,000 VND/kg.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, a small trader selling chicken at Chau Long Market in Hanoi, the price of chicken meat is currently from 140,000 to 160,000 VND/kg. As Tet is approaching, it will increase a little bit, because the purchasing power has increased.

Regarding pork, due to the guaranteed supply, the price is from 90,000 to 130,000 VND/kg. Director of Hoang Long Livestock Cooperative in Thanh Oai District, Hanoi Nguyen Trong Long shared that the AZ food safety livestock chain has 500 sows and 5,000 meat pigs from now until Tet, providing about 150 to 200 tonnes of pork to the market.

In order for the people of the whole country to welcome the Lunar New Year 2022 in a warm and thrift manner, one of the urgent tasks at this time of the relevant ministries and branches, including Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development; Industry and Trade; and Health, is to promote inter-sectoral coordination to ensure food hygiene and safety.

From December 20, 2021, to March 12, 2022, ministries, branches and central agencies have established six interdisciplinary delegations to inspect the work of ensuring food hygiene and safety in 12 key provinces and cities, focusing on key items used during Tet, strengthening control and handling the production and trading of fake and poor quality food.

In Hanoi, the Municipal People's Committee has decided to set up four interdisciplinary inspection teams from the end of December 2021 to the middle of March 2022 in 30 districts and towns on food safety at production and processing facilities and businesses; at the same time, directed management boards of traditional markets to always remind small traders to sell goods at the listed prices, and comply with regulations on food safety and environmental protection.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the city's Inter-Sectorial Steering Committee on Food Safety has deployed inspection teams from the city to the ward, commune, and township levels, focusing on the food groups that much consumed during Tet. If violations are detected, they will be strictly handled according to the provisions of the law.