Ensuring supply of essential goods amid developments of COVID-19 hinh anh 1Supply of essential goods is ensured in any circumstance (Photo: Duc Duy/Vietnam+)

Hanoi (VNA) - Facing complicated and unpredictable movements of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed to fully meet the supply of goods and stabilise the market.

The ministry has built the worst scenario to ensure to meet the supply of essential goods in the domestic market amid the complicated complications of the disease.

Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of industry and Trade Le Viet Nga granted an interview to reporter on the issue.

Be active in goods supply

- Can you tell us about the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s preparations for ensuring essential goods supply amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Ms. Le Viet Nga: Since the start of the epidemic in Vietnam, in response, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has implemented many tasks to ensure the balance between supply and demand and stabilise the market.

Accordingly, the ministry has issued guidance documents to the Department of Industry and Trade of provinces and cities and major distribution systems on coping with the effects of COVID-19.

Up to now, many provinces have reported on plans to ensure the supply of essential goods to cope with epidemic in case of further developments.

Even in the case of Vinh Phuc province, when the province had one commune to be isolated, the Department of Industry and Trade took the initiative in implementing plans to ensure the supply of essential goods to this area through mobile points of sale.

Ensuring supply of essential goods amid developments of COVID-19 hinh anh 2Amount of goods at supermarkets increases by 2-4 times (Photo: Duc Duy/Vietnam+)

- Is there scarcity in the supply of goods, especially food, food stuff and essential goods at present?

Ms. Le Viet Nga: Up to now, the supply of essential goods, especially food items, essential foodstuffs for daily life is sufficient with various types and at stable prices compared to before the Lunar New Year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the production capacity of the agricultural sector is at its peak, so it can fully meet food demand for 100 million people in the country and there is a surplus for export.

Distributors also forecast that people’s demand for goods from modern retail systems will increase during the epidemic period, so the supermarkets have planned to prepare the supply to meet the increasing demand.

In addition, abundance of goods is brought to traditional markets. However, due to concerns about disease, consumers in big cities tend to prefer shopping at supermarkets.

Strict settlement of price hike, speculation

- In fact, right after the first case of COVID-19 in Hanoi was announced on the night of March 6, on the morning of March 7, a part of people rushed to purchase food and food foodstuff for hoarding. In your opinion, what is the cause of this situation?

Ms. Le Viet Nga: Prior to March 6, we had controlled the epidemic well throughout the country, people felt secure when thinking the epidemic had ended. Many localities began to prepare for high school students to come back to school on March 9.

However, on the night of March 6 and the morning of March 7, after the first case of COVID-19 infection in Hanoi was reported, people were quite surprised and worried, so they rushed to buy and store goods for fear of disease outbreak.

Ensuring supply of essential goods amid developments of COVID-19 hinh anh 3Ms. Le Viet Nga and garment enterprises inspect goods supply capacity (Photo: Duc Duy/Vietnam+)

In order to stabilise the market, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has directed distributors and the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade to immediately implement measures to ensure the supply of goods at supermarkets and convenience stores in order to continuously supply essential goods to serve the increasing demand of people.

Along with that, the ministry held an emergency meeting with distribution enterprises in the city and the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade to direct the strengthening of measures to supply goods to the market, checking market control and facilitating activities to support the supply of goods for Hanoi.

By the evening of March 7, the market has stabilised again, the supply of goods was still plentiful along with the trust of the people in the Government's control of the disease so they stopped rushing to buy goods for storage.

- Along with ensuring enough essential goods to serve the people in all situations, the Prime Minister requires strict control of prices and punishment of price speculation and price hike.  How is this implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade?

Ms. Le Viet Nga: When the demand for goods in the market increases sharply, trade fraud such as irrational price hike, selling low quality goods often takes place. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has directed the market management force to closely monitor and intensify inspection, especially in traditional markets and online sales channels to strictly and promptly handle acts which take advantage of the scarcity of goods in the market to buy, collect and fix prices unreasonably.

Currently, the market management force has been actively implementing market inspection and control in Hanoi in particular and provinces in the country in general.

- Thank you./.


VNA