Vegetable prices increase slightly
Statistics from a survey at some traditional markets in Hanoi show that the prices of many vegetables and food items have increased but not significantly. The price of vegetables such as sweet cabbage, green mustard, and water spinach tends to increase slightly, from 5,000 VND to 6,000 VND per bunch. Meanwhile, meat prices remain stable: beef is sold for about 250,000 VND/kg, pork is kept at 120,000 VND/kg. Even though there is information about the storm, people still do not have the mentality of storing it. Most customers said that they only bought enough to use within 2 - 3 days, because they believed the supply was stable and the market was still open regularly.
Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Linh (residing in Hanoi) said: "I thought that after the storm, the price of vegetables and meat would increase sharply, but when I went to the market, I saw that the price had almost not changed. Pork, fish, and vegetables are all available, without having to jostle or worry about running out of stock".
I often go to the market every morning. After the storm, I still buy pork at the old price, while the price of sweet cabbage and green mustard greens only increased slightly," said Ms. Linh.
Proactively sourcing goods
According to traders, one of the reasons for prices not to fluctuate much after the storm is the proactive import of goods from many units, not dependent on a single source.
Mr. Pham Van Khanh - a vegetable trader in Thuong Cat ward (Hanoi) - shared: "As soon as there was a storm warning, I contacted the gardener to purchase in advance, prioritizing vegetables that were easy to preserve. Therefore, after the storm, the amount of goods stored in the warehouse and goods from this vegetable area that were not affected by the weather helped me not to be passive".
According to Mr. Khanh, import prices have only increased slightly due to the slight increase in transportation costs due to having to travel in rainy and windy weather. But because he is a regular customer, he does not dare to push the price up much. Vegetable prices only increased slightly to maintain long-term business.
Similar to Mr. Khanh, Ms. Ngan - a pork trader in Cau Giay ward (Hanoi) - shared: "Customers now also understand that if we do not raise prices unreasonably, they will still return equally. We have been selling for many years, reputation is paramount.
