Chinese vegetables are arriving nightly en masse at wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh City, where they are quickly distributed to small markets and displayed along with locally grown produce, confusing consumers who pay little attention to the origin of their purchases.
Hundreds of Chinese-grown vegetables, stored in sacks with labels containing only a few Chinese words, are unloaded from container trucks at the green produce wholesale market in the southern metropolis, waiting to be sourced by small traders in the city and neighboring provinces.
“It’s harvest season for Chinese garlic, and we import around a dozen tons of the produce every night,” Quy, a spice wholesaler at Thu Duc market, said.
Quy does not need a warehouse as all of the newly arrived products will be taken away by small traders, he revealed.
Onion and garlic grown in Vietnam only account for 10 percent of Quy’s imports, he admitted, adding that local produce is more expensive while in scarce supply.
“Few customers ask if I sell Chinese or Vietnamese garlic,” another onion and garlic wholesaler in Thu Duc market said.
“In fact, most of the garlic here in this market is from China.”
The trader said he does not conceal the real origin of his goods, but small traders often do.
“The small vendors can sell the Chinese produce without labels, or mix them with local products,” he said.
In fact, many small traders do not bother to let customers know of the origin of the products available at their booths.
Many vegetable booths at Hiep Thanh market in District 12 that display Chinese potatoes, garlic, and onions with Vietnamese produce do not label the vegetables with price or origin.
“It’s inconvenient to quote prices and origins for just a few kilograms of products,” a small vendor named Thu said.
“However, I’m willing to tell customers where the products are from if they ask.”
With traders selling a mixed stock of Chinese and Vietnamese produce, some consumers have mistaken the two.
“If I present Chinese and Vietnamese onions to four customers without telling them which is which, three will choose the Chinese ones despite similar prices,” a small vendor at Thi Nghe market in Binh Thanh District said.
“Most people will choose Chinese products because they are larger and look more delicious.”
The trader added that customers would think twice if they knew the origin of the produce thanks to “recent reports on the excessive pesticide residue found in Chinese vegetables.”
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Đăng ký: VietNam News