The consumption of fruits, particularly those that have a cooling effect, has increased with HCM City entering its hot season. Photo: nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — With large volumes of sugarcane, orange and lemon juices being consumed in hotter weather, fruit prices have been rising for a month or so in HCM City.

Lê Đình Quyết, deputy head of the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station, said summer temperatures this year are likely to surpass the average level of many previous years, and the season is likely to end in May, earlier than normal. 

These days, HCM City has been experiencing mostly sunny days with some rain and thunderstorms in the evenings. Daytime temperatures can go up to 36-37 degrees Celsius.

From now until late April, the city will have many days with a UV index of up to 9-10, which will negatively impact people’s health, Quyết said. 

In this hot atmosphere, prices of fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits and coconuts have increased sharply, with that of the seedless lemon rising the highest to VNĐ25,000 to VNĐ30,000 per kg, twice as high as last month.

According to shop owners and salespersons in wet markets, high demand is the main reason for the increase in prices. 

Trần Minh, a coconut vendor in an alley off Lê Văn Duyệt Street, Bình Thạnh District, told the Người Lao Động (The Labourer) newspaper that prices have increased in recent days. 

"After Tết (Lunar New Year), a large coconut cost VNĐ11,000 each; now the price has up to VNĐ15,000”, he said.

According to Nguyễn Đình Mười, deputy director of the Vina T&T Group - a fruit exporter, the price of Siamese coconut bought at the garden has increased from VNĐ8,000 to VNĐ9,000 per fruit.

From now until the peak hot season, coconut prices are bound to increase, the price of coconut will increase further, he said. 

Supermarket chains in HCM City have also recorded a sharp increase in the consumption of vegetables and fruits in last month. 

Marketing director of the Farmers Market, Võ Thành Lộc, said that the sharp increase in fruit consumption in recent days was due to the heat. From the beginning of the year, domestic fruit consumption has been very good, he added. 

A representative of the MM Mega Market also said that compared to the same period in 2021, the consumption of some domestic and imported fruits has increased significantly. — VNS