Govt stresses price monitoring during Pi Mai
Govt stresses price monitoring during Pi Mai
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has directed provincial Industry and Commerce Departments nationwide to monitor and control the fluctuation of consumer goods prices in their local markets during the Pi Mai Lao holidays.
The aim is to ensure a sufficient food supply and prevent the opportunism of some traders during the celebration.
The provincial industry and commerce department should be responsible in cooperating with district authorities to declare this operation to business units and traders and ensuring their participation.
Goods which should be controlled include meat products such as beef, pork, duck, chicken and fish as well as vegetables and drinking products, beer, water and Pepsi.
For meat, the ministry has advised the local authorities especially provincial and district industry and commerce sectors to focus on management middlemen who buy livestock to kill at the slaughterhouses then sell to vendors in the market.
Meanwhile for vegetables and foodstuffs it shall focus on middlemen who buy products straight from farmers for sale in local markets. However, Vientiane observers in the agriculture sector believed that the meat prices, especially pork will be stable as there is sufficient supply to the market.
Meanwhile meats including duck and chicken can be expected to rise when the nation is celebrating important events.
The prices of some kinds of vegetables may remain stable, while some may rise slightly as many vendors don't sell their products at the end of the holiday.
A vendor named Ms Boua who always purchases meat and vegetables for sale said that the price of some consumer goods will rise over the last few days of the holiday due to the lack of vendors selling their products.
To prevent price gouging, the ministry stressed that the provincial and district industry and commerce sector must take high responsibility in monitoring and inspecting goods prices in main markets in their local areas.
The provincial and district industry and commerce sector should also be responsible for making the rules and regulations of the government known to vendors, who should always sell their goods in kip currency.
The price of beef and buffalo meat in main Vientiane markets such as Khuadin, Thongkhankham and Huakhua currently is about 65,000-75,000 kip per kg, while it is about 45,000 kip for traditional chicken, 33,000 kip to 36,000 kip for pork and 20,000-25,000 kip for tilapia.
