Goods are in plentiful supply in HCM City supermarkets. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Special Working Group said the supply of essential goods to HCM City has gradually stabilised with 5,000 priority-licensed vehicles supplying retailers.

It said it has worked with distributors and retailers to increase the supply.

MM Mega Market has increased its supply of essential goods by three to four times and pledged to organise mobile sales points with fixed prices in locked-down areas.

The Saigon Trading Group, or SATRA as it is better known, has increased supply by four to five times from pre-COVID times. It has enough inventories to meet demand for around three weeks and at steady prices, with only a few items becoming 3-5 per cent more expensive due to the increase in transport costs.

The Saigon Union of Trade Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op) said it has enough stocks of essential goods such as rice, sugar, fish sauce, and salt to last 45 days.

It is also committed to not increasing prices, especially of essential goods. Saigon Co.op currently sells an average of 700 tonnes of vegetables and 150 tonnes of meat a day in the city.

Vinmart and Vinmart + supermarket systems with around 1,000 convenience stores and supermarkets in the city are selling daily 100-120 tonnes of meat, 270-300 tonnes of vegetables, 50-70 tonnes of fruits, and 80-100 tonnes of seafood.

They said they have increased stocks by up to 300 per cent from normal, and as of July 20 their distribution system was fully supplied and prices were steady.

Retailers are also remaining open longer, increasing orders by phone and online and taking measures to prevent people from buying to profiteer.

Last week, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính instructed seven ministries to each establish a special working group to help HCM City and southern provinces combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

The seven groups, each headed by a deputy minister, will work with the south to resolve arising problems.

They will report to their ministries and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on a daily basis, and highlight issues they cannot resolve.

The ministries include National Defence, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, Transport, Construction, Information and Communications, and Labour-Invalids and Social Affairs. VNS