Food prices may rise over Pi Mai Lao , traders say
Food prices may rise over Pi Mai Lao , traders say
Traders believe the price of vegetables and other produce could increase during the Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao) holiday due to a drop in the number of vendors.
During the Pi Mai Lao holiday next week, the price of some food items will increase because of the high demand but shortage of supply, a Vientiane trader, Ms Seng, told Vientiane Times yesterday.
Despite the industry and commerce sector having requested local authorities to take full responsibility for price control over the holiday, some traders will still take advantage.
Special occasions are a good opportunity for traders to sell their products for a higher profit, she said.
In previous years vegetable prices rose because many traders also took a holiday, while buyer demand increased, said Ms Seng.
However, the prices of items that are controlled by the government, such as beef, pork and fish, remain stable.
Prices in general have remained steady so far, while some have gone up because of high demand such as onions, mint, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage and lettuce.
Onions are currently selling for about 20,000 kip per kg, while mint is 6,000-7,000 kip, tomatoes are 8,000-10,000 kip and lettuce costs 15,000 kip. Morning glory and pak hom are selling for 4,000 kip per kg.
Ms Seng felt sure that over the holiday most vegetables and other crops would rise in price.
Vientiane Foodstuff State Enterprise Director, Mr Khamla Saengdara, said pork and beef would remain stable at 35,000 kip and 65,000-70,000 kip respectively, as there is sufficient supply.
“This enterprise is a food supplier and we have sufficient quantities of beef and pork for the Pi Mai Lao celebrations,” he said.
He also said the rising price of vegetables during the holiday was not the result of increased consumption or due to economic factors but was due to there being fewer vendors.
During this time, traders who keep their shops open will take the opportunity to make some extra profit by raising their prices a little, he said.
Mr Khamla added that market foodstuff pricing is usually based on the prices charged by farmers.
