New Year’s Day: Traditional markets and supermarkets in HCM City were full of goods and buyers for the national holiday while the number of customers buying traditional foods decreased.

Most companies and distributors stockpiled enough goods to avoid shortages and help keep prices stable. However, prices slightly increased at traditional markets and small shops.

Big C supermarket stockpiled more than 60 tons of cold meats. eBon stocked 100 tons of jam and traditional candies and 350 tons of domestic and imported fruit. Big C also transported produce from Lam Dong province and the Mekong Delta.

These actions ensured the price of fresh produce did not increase.

At the Vissan shops, the price of canned food, cold meats and fresh meat products decreased by 5-10 percent, but at traditional markets, most kinds of fresh food and seafood increased slightly.

At Tan Dinh, Ba Chieu and Thi Nghe markets, pork increased by VND3,000 – VND5,000 ($0.17-$0.29) per kilo compared with December.

Meanwhile, beer and drinks also sold very well, a 10 percent increase over last year. Though producers promised to keep prices unchanged, the market has still seen the price increase by VND10,000 per crate of 24 cans.

On New Year’s Day, many companies and financial organizations in the Mekong delta started work.

Fish processing plants produced their first products of 2009 in Ca Mau province in Mekong Delta.

Many building projects also began work the same day, including the Ca Mau boarding school, road to Tran Hoi commune and Da Bac embankments in Ca Mau province.

Quoc Viet Seaproducts Processing Trading and Import-Export Co., Ltd began the first high quality shrimp production in 2009 for exports to Europe. Quoc Viet is one of Vietnam’s most respected companies for quality and exports.

Many companies that process and export rice started buying the first tons of rough rice and rice on New Year’s Day.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta started harvesting winter-spring crop earlier as the price of rough rice is VND3.300-VND3,600 ($0.19-$0.21) per kilo. Farmers can make a profit of about VND1,500 per kilo. (Sai Gon GP)