City’s grocers brace for festival feast demand

Beijing will increase its vegetable supply by 10 percent, or 20 million metric tons, during the upcoming Spring Festival starting Jan 27 to meet public needs, said a local authority.

The Beijing Commission of Commerce announced early this month that seven major farm products wholesale markets, 20 major chain supermarkets, 10 large chain restaurants and 17 direct suppliers participated in the joint action to increase supply.

From Jan 10 to March 20, those participating companies will ensure the supply of common vegetables including cabbages, carrots, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and beans.

“I used to buy a lot of vegetables ahead of the festival in case sellers and delivery workers went back home for their family reunions,” said Dong Jinxian, a 56-year-old housewife in Beijing. “All stores were closed during Spring Festival in previous years because most of the shop owners and sales assistants are not local Beijing people. They went back home for the most important get-together of the year. So I wanted to be prepared for my family.

“However, in recent years, I found that more and more supermarkets are staying open during the festival and the foods are fresh as ever. The only difference is the number of sales assistants seems less than on normal days, which doesn’t matter much,” she said.

The city government has long been preparing for the change.

According to the commission, the Beijing government eliminated the entrance trading fee for local wholesale markets from Jan 27 to Feb 1, in order to encourage wholesale traders to stay in the capital and keep business flowing.

The authority also required 10 major chain restaurants with 700 stores and another 760 supermarket outlets to arrange vegetable deliveries in advance and stay open during the festival.

This is the sixth year of the capital making efforts to ensure vegetable supply during Spring Festival, which is an action that benefits both the farmers and residents.

In addition to the food sector, the authority has also taken measures to ensure the supply of home services in the capital. Usually, home service workers are in short supply during the Spring Festival holiday, causing inconvenience for many households in Beijing.

This year, the Beijing government said about 50 companies will transport skilled home service workers from other cities to the capital. They will also offer better conditions to allow approximately 50,000 home service workers to stay in Beijing and continue their work.