Recently, vegetable shelves in some supermarkets in Guangzhou and Shenzhen were emptied, with some people buying several bags of rice at once; In Shanghai, some supermarkets saw residents stocking up on vegetables, with leafy greens selling out as soon as they hit the shelves; In Beijing, sales of popular items like cabbage, potatoes, and radishes increased 3-5 times in some supermarkets... In response to panic buying that emptied stores in some areas, a Commerce Ministry official said on the 29th that the empty shelves after panic buying are temporary. Consumers should not worry, not panic, but consume rationally according to needs. In response to concentrated panic buying of rice in some areas, Lu Jingbo, deputy director of the National Grain and Strategic Reserves Administration, said on the 30th that China's grain and oil inventories are at historical highs, raw grain reserves are very ample, and large and medium-sized cities have generally established finished product reserves such as rice, flour, and oil, with a strong material basis for regulation. Some companies have taken advantage of the situation to raise prices and have been penalized. At the Carrefour Xuhui store in Shanghai, leafy greens saw price increases of up to nearly 7 times, suspected of illegally driving up prices. The Shanghai Market Supervision Administration plans to fine Carrefour 2 million yuan. -01- Were vegetables and meat bought out? Supermarkets are restocking According to Nanfang Daily, on January 26, some citizens reported that agricultural and sideline products in some Guangzhou supermarkets were in short supply, with shelves "bought empty." Since the first day of the Lunar New Year, consumer demand for daily necessities has surged, approaching the peak of the entire year last year, especially for vegetables. Major supermarkets have been restocking to ensure stable supply and prices of daily necessities. Image source: Nanfang Net From citizen feedback, including Aeon Supermarket, China Resources Vanguard, and Walmart Sam's Club, shelves were sold out. On January 28, Guangzhou held a press conference on ensuring living market supply during the epidemic, proposing multiple measures to ensure supply and stabilize prices, especially focusing on ensuring the supply of vegetables and fresh meat to keep prices stable. Image source: Guangdong Public Channel According to Guangzhou Daily, on January 29, the market opening rate had increased to 60-70%, all stall owners wore masks, and many markets measured temperatures at entrances and reminded citizens to wear masks. Meat and vegetables were clearly priced, with prices significantly falling. According to China Times, on January 29, at the Carrefour Shuangjing store in Beijing, staff said that in the morning, vegetable supply was sufficient, but by the afternoon or later, some products would sell out, but they would be fully restocked by the next morning. Staff said that in the previous days, there were indeed hot-selling situations, mostly for daily necessities like cabbage, potatoes, and flour. In addition, the supermarket had ample stock of various products, with no shortage. According to Beijing Business Today on the 28th, Caixian Guomei has 7 stores in Beijing, with cabbage prices rising 10% and fruit prices rising 3%-5%. Sales of popular items like cabbage, potatoes, and radishes increased 3-5 times. Wang Xingshui, general manager of Caixian Guomei Kehui Road store, said, "The increase in sales is mainly in vegetables, fruits, rice, flour, grain and oil, instant noodles, etc. From the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, we sold 15-20 tons of vegetables per day, a year-on-year increase of 1-2 times." If everyone does not panic and buys rationally instead of hoarding, buying three or five times as much, then prices will not rise. -02- Ministry of Commerce: National market supply is sufficient, no need to panic In response to the phenomenon of supermarkets being "bought out" in some areas, a responsible person from the Ministry of Commerce said on the 29th that the national commodity market supply is fully guaranteed, and the government and enterprises are making every effort to transport and restock goods to increase market supply. "The empty shelves after panic buying are temporary." Consumers should not worry, not panic, but consume rationally according to needs, leaving necessary time for commercial enterprises to restock. The official said that a zero-reporting system for abnormal situations in daily necessities markets has been established in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, to comprehensively, timely, and accurately grasp the supply and demand situation of daily necessities, ensuring that in critical moments and extreme situations, daily necessities can be found, dispatched quickly, and used effectively. At present, all regions in China are making every effort to ensure the supply of meat and vegetable markets. According to official data, Shouguang, Shandong, has rushed 350 tons of fresh vegetables to Wuhan, and will continue to provide 600 tons daily for the next 10-15 days; Shanghai Lianhua Supermarket organizes more than 200 tons of vegetable supply daily, setting a new historical high; large shopping malls and supermarkets in Shenzhen, such as China Resources and Walmart, have vegetable supplies 10 times the usual amount. Recently, more than 20 supermarket brands, including RT-Mart, Xinhua Capital, Greenland G-Super, CP Lotus, Handan Sunshine, Hefei Hongfu, and Xiangjiang Department Store, have stated that for rice, flour, grain and oil, fresh vegetables, and daily necessities, supermarkets promise to ensure supply and not raise prices, calling on consumers to shop rationally and not hoard. According to Xinhua News Agency, in response to the concentrated panic buying of rice in some areas, Lu Jingbo, deputy director of the National Grain and Strategic Reserves Administration, said on the 30th that local authorities promptly increased supply, quickly stabilized expectations, and restored market order; at present, grain and oil supply is sufficient and prices are stable across the country. Lu Jingbo said that China's grain and oil inventories are at historical highs, raw grain reserves are very ample, and large and medium-sized cities have generally established finished product reserves such as rice, flour, and oil, with a strong material basis for regulation. -03- Leafy greens price increase up to nearly 7 times, Shanghai plans to fine Carrefour 2 million On the afternoon of January 29, Shanghai held a press conference. At the meeting, a reporter asked: Recently, netizens have posted photos of various hoarded vegetables, especially leafy greens, which are hard to buy and prices have risen. What countermeasures does the Shanghai Agriculture and Rural Committee have? Ye Junping, deputy director of the Shanghai Agriculture and Rural Committee, said that in previous Spring Festivals, Shanghai citizens usually traveled or returned to their hometowns. This year, citizens voluntarily canceled outings and stayed home for the holiday, so the demand for vegetables, especially leafy greens, has doubled compared to previous years. The continuous rainy weather in the previous period had a significant impact on vegetable production. In addition, during the holidays, a large number of migrant vegetable farmers went home for the New Year, leading to labor shortages and a 20-30% reduction in production capacity. Therefore, some supermarkets saw citizens hoarding vegetables, and leafy greens sold out as soon as they hit the shelves. It is understood that in the past two days, areas such as Qingpu, Pudong, Jinshan, Fengxian, and Chongming have been rushing to harvest green vegetables and other bulk leafy greens. The daily market supply of leafy greens in the city can reach 3,000 tons, meeting market demand. Vegetable supply is tight, and some companies have taken the opportunity to raise prices. On January 28, during an inspection, the law enforcement team of the Shanghai Market Supervision Administration found that the Xuhui store of Shanghai Lianjia Supermarket Co., Ltd. (Carrefour Xuhui store) sold 15 varieties of vegetables, including selected lettuce, baby bok choy, chicken feather greens, leaf lettuce, and spinach, during the Spring Festival epidemic. Despite no significant fluctuation in purchase prices, they repeatedly raised selling prices, with large price increases, many varieties, and temporary price hikes. Among them, the increases for lettuce, baby bok choy, and chicken feather greens were 692%, 405%, and 330%, respectively. On January 29, the law enforcement team of the Shanghai Market Supervision Administration quickly filed and investigated the case, and on January 30 issued a "Notice of Administrative Penalty Hearing" to the party concerned, proposing an administrative penalty of a 2 million yuan fine. As of January 29, the Shanghai Market Supervision Administration had filed investigations into 12 suspected price violations, including 4 suspected of driving up prices and 8 suspected of violating clear pricing regulations, all of which are being processed. On January 30, a photo of a "Warm Notice" allegedly posted in a supermarket circulated online and immediately went viral on social media. Vegetables are not in short supply, but if you panic-buy, they become scarce, so we have to double our orders... In a few days, if you hoard too many vegetables and they go bad, or if we order too much and they rot unsold. Let's not torment each other, okay? Source: Daily Economic News (ID: nbdnews) Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan once adopted.