Despite being peak hours on Thursday, the pork section at Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District, HCM City, was quiet. Dozens of stalls were nearly empty, with only 2-3 vendors trying to sell their products, but they drew very few customers.
Duong Mai, a pork trader with over 50 years of experience, stated that stalls at the market have experienced a sharp decline in customers after the Tet Lunar New Year. The high price of pork has weakened demand, leading most traders to stop selling.
Many pork traders at Ba Chieu Market have halted sales
Most pork stalls at Ban Co Market in District 3 remained well-stocked. Although a few stalls attracted customers, they only bought small amounts for daily meals.
“Pork prices have risen, so I only bought a few hundred grammes to make porridge for my child. Instead, I buy other nutritious foods at lower prices, such as eggs and tofu,” Thanh Giang said.
Depending on the type, pork was priced between VND138,000 and 148,000 per kilo at many traditional markets in HCM City.
According to the management board of Hoc Mon Agricultural Wholesale Market, which supplies about half of the fresh pork market share in HCM City, traders are reducing their pork purchases not due to a lack of supply but rather in response to market demand to avoid excess stock that could force them to sell at a loss.
According to the management board of Hoc Mon Agricultural Wholesale Market, which accounts for nearly half of the fresh pork market share in HCM City, traders are scaling back their pork purchases not because of a supply shortage but in response to market demand to prevent excess stock that could lead to selling at a loss.
Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of Dong Nai Province’s Livestock Association, stated that pork prices have risen to nearly VND80,000 per kilogramme. This increase is partially attributed to several outbreaks of African swine fever, acute diarrhoea, and pneumonia.
