HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Retailsales of food and foodstuffs in Ho Chi Minh City were worth 66.744 trillion VND(2.9 billion USD) in the first seven months of this year, or 17.46 percent oftotal retail sales.
The figure represents an increase of 13.7 percentyear-on-year, according to the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.
In the last decade, average consumption offoods saw an annual increase of 12.98 percent.
The major food and beverage productsconsumed in the city include eggs, instant noodles, canned drinks, milk andsausages.
Major increases in output in the firstseven months were seen in milk (6.9 percent) and canned beer (5.6 percent).
But notwithstanding the rising sales, foodprocessing and beverage companies faced challenges such as increasedvalue-added tax and smuggled and fake goods.
A spokesman for the city’s Department ofIndustry and Trade said in the remaining months of the year, the department willcall on city authorities to hold discussions with major enterprises andbusiness groups in the food and foodstuff sector to resolve the problems theycurrently face.
It will also promote an alliance betweenlocalities and industrial parks to establish raw material zones and valuechains for foods and foodstuffs.
According to Nguyen Phuong Dong, Deputy Directorof the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, the number of retailenterprises in the city is rising by 10.9 percent annually, significantlycontributing to the development of the country’s retail sector.
The city has 239 markets, 216 supermarkets,44 business centres and 2,065 convenience shops.
They account for 2.8 percent of thecountry’s markets, 22 percent of supermarkets and 23 percent of businesscentres.-VNS/VNA
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