High pork prices, small traders face difficulties

The recent increase in pork prices has had a significant impact on consumers and the businesses of small traders. Many families have tightened their spending, while small traders have faced sluggish sales and even losses.

For more than a month now, pork prices have increased by 15-30 thousand VND/kg, making buyers more cautious. Therefore, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy, a pork trader at Dong Xoai market (Dong Xoai city) has reduced her imports by more than half compared to before. Previously, Ms. Thuy sold about 200 kg of pork per day, but now the amount consumed is less than 100 kg. Ms. Thuy said: "Pork prices increased by tens of thousands of VND/kg, now they have decreased by 2-5 thousand VND. I don't make a profit selling it, but I still have to maintain it to keep customers."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy, a trader at Dong Xoai market, Dong Xoai city, said that because the price of pork has increased, selling it is not profitable, but she has to maintain it to keep her customers.

This difficult situation also happened similarly at the pork stall of Ms. Le Thi Thao (a trader at Dong Xoai market), when she imported pork at a price of 110,000 VND/kg, but sold it at only 110,000 VND/kg, so there was no profit. For more than a month now, Ms. Thao has both reduced the imported output and accepted to sell at a loss to maintain her regular customers. Ms. Thao said: “The price of pork has increased, but I keep the selling price at 110,000 VND/kg, which means no increase or decrease compared to before. I accept to sell at a loss to maintain my customers, because if I increase the price, people will not buy, and the goods will be unsold. Hopefully, the price of pork will go down soon to make a profit.”

Ms. Phan Thi Hoai Phuong, a pork trader at Dong Xoai market for more than 30 years, said: “More than a month ago, the price of pork increased by 30 thousand VND/kg. Before, I sold about 200kg a day, now it has decreased to 100kg, at most 100-150kg. The number of buyers and the amount of purchases have also decreased a lot.”

Ms. Phan Thi Hoai Phuong, a pork trader at Dong Xoai market for over 30 years, said that because pork prices have increased, the number of buyers and the amount of purchases have decreased significantly.

Not only pork vendors but also food and beverage businesses are facing difficulties due to the high price of pork. Mr. Tran Ngoc Ly, owner of a restaurant specializing in pork at Dong Xoai market, said: “I sell noodle soup and have been buying pork from Ms. Phuong’s stall for 4 years now. The current high price of pork has greatly affected the business at the restaurant. If I increase the price, sales will not be good, so I have to try to maintain it to keep customers waiting for the price of pork to decrease.”

The high price of pork has led to a decrease in purchasing power, causing many difficulties for small traders. Hopefully, the authorities will soon have a solution to stabilize market prices, helping people and small traders overcome this difficult period.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/171138/heo-gia-tang-cao-tieu-thuong-gap-kho