Purchasing power weak as households tighten spending

According to the Ministry of Finance, the shopping demand for Tet this year has decreased compared to previous years because many households have tightened spending.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the shopping demand for Tet this year has decreased compared to previous years because many households have tightened spending. (Photo: SGGP)

According to the Ministry of Finance, the shopping demand for Tet this year has decreased compared to previous years because many households have tightened spending. (Photo: SGGP)

The Ministry of Finance recently sent a document to the Government Office to report on the market and price situation and measures to manage and control prices before, during, and after the Lunar New Year 2023.

According to the report, the market price situation is basically stable and under control and moves following the price management scenario that the Steering Committee for Price Management has previously directed.

At traditional markets, the prices of essential items, such as vegetables and fruits, fresh meat, and offerings, merely climb on the days near Tet and the first few days of the Lunar New Year and are expected to gradually return to normal in the coming days when the supply from supermarket chains and trade centers is steady, and consumer demand is back to normalcy. At supermarkets and trade centers, basic prices are kept stable.

It was recorded that during the Tet holiday, prices of fresh food only edged up slightly compared to ordinary days because there was no sudden demand. Compared to normal days, beef prices rose by about VND10,000 - VND20,000 per kg depending on the locality; live chicken increased by about VND10,000 - VND30,000 per kg; pork price was slightly stable compared to the period before Tet, so prices of finished pork products did not fluctuate much.

The selling prices of vegetables and fruits in localities were basically stable thanks to abundant and stable supply. After Tet, there were days when vegetable prices were extremely cheap, only equal to 30-50 percent compared to before Tet in some places because the demand was not as high as in previous years.

Pork prices is at VND85,000-VND110,000 per kg, depending on type. (Photo: SGGP)

Pork prices is at VND85,000-VND110,000 per kg, depending on type. (Photo: SGGP)

According to the Ministry of Finance, the price of fresh flowers surged slightly on the 22nd and 23rd days of the last month in the lunar calendar and increased from 15 to 25 percent on the 27th and 28th days of the last month in the lunar calendar due to the high demand for fresh flowers for worship.

The prices of ornamental plants for Tet decorations this year, such as peach blossoms, kumquats, and Ochna integerrima, were the same as last year, with abundant supply. However, in the days near Tet (from the afternoon of the 29th day of the last month in the lunar calendar), the price of flowers and ornamental plants tended to decline because the purchasing power was lower than in previous years.

"Generally, the shopping demand this year is lower than in previous years because many households have to tighten spending on the Tet holiday," the Ministry of Finance assessed.

Besides, according to reports of localities freight rates for fixed routes over the past few days did not increase or increased slightly. To serve the increased travel demand of passengers before and after the Lunar New Year, some transport business units have declared an increase in the surcharge for one-way empty coaches.

“Prices for parking services at supermarkets and trade centers comply with regulations. At some traditional markets and spontaneous parking lots around spiritual places, parking service prices have gone up, especially in the first days of the Lunar New Year and in some cities with many tourist attractions, temples, and pagodas," the report of the Ministry of Finance said.

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