Nguyễn Văn Dũng, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, checks the supply of goods and their prices and food safety at the Bình Điền wholesale market on January 25. VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — An inspection team in HCM City led by People’s Committee deputy chairman Nguyễn Văn Dũng visited the Bình Điền and Hóc Môn wholesale markets on Thursday night to assess the supply and prices of goods and food safety ahead of Tết (Lunar New Year).

The volume of goods transported to Bình Điền in District 8 is expected to surge by 20-35 per cent in the week before Tết, Phan Thành Tân, director of the Bình Điền Market Management and Trading Company, said.

On the 26th and 27th of the lunar month, they are expected to reach 3,200-4,000 tonnes a day, 40-60 per cent higher than on normal days, before gradually dropping back to normal, he said.

The value of goods being traded at the market daily is estimated at VNĐ150 billion (US$6 million), and prices remain steady, he said.

His company would join hands with the Department of Food Safety to step up food safety and hygiene inspections during and after Tết, he added.

Lê Văn Tiển, director of the Hóc Môn Market Management and Trading Ltd. Co., said the volume of goods transported to the Hóc Môn agriculture wholesale market will reach around 3,500 tonnes a day on December 26 of the Lunar Calendar, double the normal days.

Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, director of the department, said food safety and hygiene must be fully ensured at the wholesale markets before foods and foodstuffs are distributed to traditional markets, food stores and kitchens.

Dũng said he has led the inspection team to three wholesale markets, the other being Thủ Đức, and instructed the companies that manage them to ensure adequate supply, steady prices and food safety. —VNS