Agricultural products from provinces to HCMC uninterrupted amidst Covid-19

The cultivation and breeding activities in Ho Chi Minh City have just met around 25 to 30 percent of residents' daily consumption demand; and the remaining of 70-75 percent has been provided by other provinces and cities. For this reason, the city has to well operate agricultural product supply chains to avoid the impact on the local people’s daily lives.

According to reporters of Sai Gon Giai Phong (SGGP) Newspaper, although Ho Chi Minh City has enacted social distancing to prevent the Covid-19 from further spreading, The supply of commodities in general and agricultural products in particular has been uninterrupted. There has not been any congestion in the city gateways as well as at wholesale markets and traders have promptly distributed commodities to their customers right after receiving them.

At night on June 6, Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market received 3,600 tons of goods, an increase of about 200 tons compared to the previous night, of which there were 1,700 tons of fruits and 1,800 tons of vegetables. 

At nights of Saturday and Sunday, an average of 48 tons of fresh flowers was transported to the Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market, an increase of 20 tons compared to the same time in the beginning of June. A representative of the Management Board of the Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market said that the volume of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers usually increases in the middle and the end of the lunar month to meet to consumption of residents.

Besides that, the commodities output in Binh Dien and Hoc Mon wholesale markets is still as ordinary days and ensures the supply and the consumption demand for customers.

Consumers buy essential foods at a supermarket  (Photo: Cao Thang)
According to the city’s functional forces, there are medical checkpoints of Covid-19 prevention and control in the city gateways and the wholesale markets to support traders and transportation business owners from other provinces to HCMC.

Around 40 people of interdisciplinary functional forces have alternatively performed their tasks at Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market 24 hours a day.

Trucks transporting goods and commodities, especially those from Covid-19 hit localities to the city’s markets are sprayed disinfectant. The functional forces take Covid-19 testing samples for drivers and assistants and guide separated accommodation areas for them.

Thu Duc wholesale market also arranges a separate parking and disinfecting area for vehicles from Covid-19 hit localities. After unloading goods from trucks, drivers and assistant drivers will immediately return home.  With this approach, the traffic situation in the markets is not congested.

Agricultural products inside a wholesale market (Photo: Hoang Hung)
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is working closely with provinces and cities to deploy solutions to connect supply and demand of goods, support consumption of seasonal agricultural products.

At the same time, the city has proactively worked with supermarkets, convenience stores, wholesale markets, traditional markets to build consumption plans, create favorable conditions for organizations and individuals to trade seasonal agricultural products amid the current situation. Ho Chi Minh City also strengthens propaganda and mobilizes consumers to prioritize consumption of domestic agricultural products, contributing to supporting farmers.

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