Purchasing power does not drastically increase in the month approaching Tet to reduce the pressure of inflation this January, often the month of highest inflation each year, Hanoi Statistics Office has said.
The office reported retail sales this month rose nearly 4 percent over the previous month. Groups of essential goods and services related to Tet increased their prices this month by 1 percent, a low rate compared to the sharply increased demand, the office said.
The price of rice surged 0.44 percent, 1.51 percent for food and 0.68 percent for catering services. In general, the prices of food and catering services increased 1.17 percent this month.
The price also increased by 0.94 percent for beverage and tobacco products, 1.47 percent for apparel, headwear and footwear and 1.15 percent for cultural, entertainment and tourism services.
The high demand for home and household appliance maintenance during Tet resulted in an increased price as well. Prices jumped 0.86 percent for household appliances and 1.53 percent for building materials.
Hanoi Agriculture and Rural Development said the supply of vegetables in the days of Tet were plentiful.
During the days approaching Tet, farmers in many areas specialising in growth of vegetables in sub-urban of Hanoi as Dong Anh, Hoai Duc, Gia Lam and Chuong My harvested vegetable to offer to the market.
The wholesale price of vegetables increased slightly between 2-5 percent. The price of essential fresh vegetables eaten during Tet remained stable, such as brassica sinensis, brassica juncea, cauliflower and herbs.
For the spring crop this year, Hanoi farmers are expected to plant vegetables on a total area of nearly 9,000ha with an output of 176,000 tonnes for the market.
