In response to the upcoming rainy and stormy season, functional sectors, agencies and businesses Da Nang-wide have actively prepared essential items to avoid the disruption of the supply chain in tandem with preventing unexpected surges in prices.

Goods stockpiles for the rainy season in 2022 are quite abundant. Residents are seen buying goods at a Co.opmart supermarket. Photo: QUYNH TRANG

Take initiative in mapping out stockpile plans

Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Huu Hanh affirmed that the stockpiling of essential goods is identified as one of the important tasks in natural disaster mitigation strategies. Fully aware of this, right from the beginning of this year, the local industry and trade industry has actively built up a plan to ensure essential goods.

Focus has been placed on surveying the consumer demand of each locality, identifying key areas at high risk of being affected by storms and floods so as to develop goods supply plans, thereby ensuring the right objects and necessary areas.

Till date, the stockpiling of goods for this year’s  rainy season is ready for timely supplies to areas that are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and floods.

The city currently houses 8 commercial centres, 105 general and specialised supermarkets and 74 traditional markets. In addition, there are more than 400 convenience stores, buffets shops, all of which are distributed relatively evenly, meeting the consumption needs of residents in the area.

In general, goods are relatively evenly distributed among supermarkets, trade centres, convenience stores and traditional markets in local wards/communes. The distribution rate through the trading channels accounts for about 70 - 90%.

Major food distribution units in the area such as Co.opmart Da Nang, Co.opmart Son Tra, MM Mega Market Da Nang, Lotte Mart, Winmart and Go! Da Nang have actively participated in plans to reserve goods for this year’s disaster prevention and control targets.  Abundant supplies with a total amount of food and foodstuffs stored in trade centres, supermarkets and markets across the city reached about VND82.4 billion, including 56,270 boxes of instant noodles, 22,344 boxes of dry food, 2,714 tonnes of rice, sticky rice of all kinds, 41,527 barrels of bottled water and 833,789 tonnes of other foodstuffs.

In addition, the daily reserve of essential goods at 4 markets under the management of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade is estimated at about VND700 million, of which goods are circulated to the markets regularly every 2 - 3 days.

Customers pick up goods at Lotte mart Da Nang. Photo: QUYNH TRANG

Joint efforts made by many enterprises

In his perspectives on the market’s developments as well as response to the stormy season, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Huu Hanh said that petrol price reduction policies have been released continuously over the past time. This highly encouraging fact has imposed a positive impact on stabilising the market, so there are almost no changes in essential items serving people's lives.

As requested, local petrol and oil businesses must develop stockpiling plans and be ready to ensure supplies to isolated and divided areas when such natural disasters as storms and floods occur, in a bid to guarantee production needs and consumption in all situations.

At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to take advantage of the scarcity of goods triggered by natural disasters and floods to hike prices excessively to gain illicit profits.

In particular, 3 key businesses specialising  in fuel products in the city, namely Military Petroleum Company Region 2, Region V Petroleum Company - One Member Limited Liability Company and Hoa Khanh Trading & Service Co., Ltd. have planed to stockpile fuel for disaster prevention in 2022 with a value of nearly VND 397.2 billion, including 7,760m³ of gasoline of all kinds, 15,260m³ of diesel oil.These items are regularly stockpiled from now until December, 2022.

According to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, the capacity to stockpile rice to respond in times of natural disasters in the city is about 2,500 tonne of all kinds. In case of emergency relief, this agency will suggesting mobilising rice reserves from businesses in the region with a total estimated amount of about 165 tonnes.

The above-mentioned volume of rice is enough for 120,000 people living in disasters-prone areas in 3 - 5 days as there are an addition of some other dried foods.

In case the weather is complicated, the Department of Industry and Trade will propose the municipal People's Committee to call for more enterprises to purchase more rice for relief.

It takes 2 days to mobilise rice sources from rice granaries in Southern Viet Nam. Therefore, so as soon as any forecast on storms and flood is released, the additional rice source can completely reach the people in time.

With the initiative taken by all local authorities, businesses, supermarkets, shops and trade agents, essential goods are fully supplied to meet the consumption needs of the people, well serve production and business activities, a positive step to ensure effective natural disaster prevention and control.

Reporting by QUYNH TRANG - Translating by A.THU