After Tet, food prices 'increase'

Vegetable prices have doubled or tripled compared to normal days. Photo: Thanh Phuc

At Do Luong market, since the morning of the third day of Tet, many traders have "opened" for business again. The items for sale are mainly all kinds offresh foodsuch as: shrimp, fish, eel, beef, veal and green vegetables.

According to survey, tThe strongest price increase is in green vegetables.Specifically, chrysanthemum greens cost 7,000-8,000 VND/bunch (4 times higher than usual), celery costs 15,000-20,000 VND/bunch (double the usual price), cauliflower costs 17,000 VND/head (triple the usual price)... Beef, veal, and pork all "increased in price", increasing from 30,000-40,000 VND/kg compared to usual.

After Tet, many activities related to food and drink such as: New Year's meetings, Spring banquets, class reunions, parties, weddings... are held, so the demand for fresh food increases sharply. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Ms. Duong Thi Nhung, a housewife in Tao Son commune (Anh Son) said: “This Tet, I did not buy much food to store. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, my family held a spring gathering, so I went to buy vegetables and meat to make hotpot. After walking around Dinh market, the prices of all items such as vegetables, meat, and shrimp were all high. Some items were 2-3 times higher than usual.”

In Vinh city, markets have not reopened yet, but some food traders have "opened" in front of the market gate, with quite a crowd of buyers. Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh, a fresh fish trader in front of Hung Dung market, said: "After Tet, we ate stored food and meat dishes, so fresh fish is quite popular. In just 3 hours, I alone sold out 30kg of grass carp, common carp, snakehead fish... Fish prices increased by 20,000-30,000 VND/kg."

Meat prices increased by 30,000-50,000 VND/kg. Photo: Thanh Phuc

With the concept,eat eel at the beginning of the yearwill be "smooth sailing", will have a smooth business year, favorable winds, so eel is very popular, the price increases but still "sells out". Normally, 1kg of live eel is only at 170,000-200,000 VND/kg, now increased to 350,000-400,000 VND/kg, still sought by many people.

Ms. Phan Thi Nam, owner of an eel kiosk at Do Luong market, said: "To have eels to sell at the first market of the year, from the end of December we had to collect eels, raise them in tanks and wait until the second day to start selling. Although the price is more expensive than usual, they sell very well. Buyers do not bargain much because this is the beginning of the new year, everyone wants to eat eel dishes for good luck for the whole year."

Live eel prices have doubled but are still "sold out". Photo: Thanh Phuc

Explaining the sharp increase in food prices, retailers said: After Tet, many activities related to food and drink such as: organizing spring meetings, organizing longevity celebrations, and restaurants also reopened, so the demand for fresh food increased.

Meanwhile, the number of people reopening their businesses is still small, farmers have not yet returned to the fields to harvest agricultural products, and slaughterhouses have not yet resumed operations, so goods are scarce, "demand" exceeds "supply", and prices are also higher than usual.

Many seafood products also have high prices, white-leg shrimp costs 270,000-300,000 VND/kg. Photo: Thanh Phuc

The price increase only happens a few days after Tet, after the markets open, traders return to business, supply will stabilize and prices will stabilize again.