VietNamNet Bridge – Over 10 tons of Australian dirty beef imports have penetrated the domestic market. Chinese grapes have been selling as Ninh Thuan brand grapes. Consumers have been told to become smarter, or they would buy dirty food.

Doors kept open for dirty beef imports

In principle, food imports must go through verification before entering the domestic market. However, over 10 tons of dirty imports still could go through competent agencies.

Veterinary Agency Region II, which confirmed that the beef imports by the Hanoi High Grade Food Company could not meet the requirements to be able to enter the Vietnamese market after the second verification, has requested the importer to re-export the imports.

However, the third testing has provided a surprising result. Only two kinds of products, 5,566 kilos in total could not meet the standards to be used as the food for human, which was asked for re-export.

Finally, the veterinary agency has decided to please the importer by allowing the company to use the substandard food as the feed for animals. As such, the company doesn’t have to re-export any kilos of the dirty meat it imported.

Chinese grapes sold as Ninh Thuan’s grapes

The grapes with green peels have been sold everywhere in Hanoi, at supermarkets, traditional markets or pavement shops, which have been introduced as Ninh Thuan’s grapes. However, in fact, the grapes are sourced from China.

Vietnamese prefer Vietnamese Ninh Thuan brand grapes, even though Chinese grapes have better appearance and don’t have pips, because they fear Chinese products are unsafe for human. This explains why Chinese grapes have been sold as Ninh Thuan grapes.

Nguyen Van Moi, Deputy Chair of the Ninh Thuan Grapes Association, has affirmed that Ninh Thuan grapes have been in short supply, and that the grapes being sold in Hanoi must be the imports from China.

Moi said the association has heard about the sale of Chinese grapes as Ninh Thuan grapes, but they have not found out the solutions to the problem.

Gas distributors apply new marketing method

Since the competition in the market is getting stiffer, gas distributors have to try every possible method to do the marketing to attract more buyers.

Some gas agents have the “professional marketing staff” who are ready to rush into people’s houses to stick the labels with their shops’ addresses on the wall or at the kitchen. As such, consumers would have to use the gas they provide, because the addresses of loyal shops have been erased by the professional marketing workers.

Taxi fees, goods prices on the rise

The decision on raising the petrol retail price to VND24,580 per liter has raised worry about a new wave of goods price increases.

The Hanoi Taxi Association has gathered its members to discuss the taxi fee increases. They have agreed on the VND600-1,000 per kilometer increase.

The threat from China

Pepper plant growers in Chu Se district in Gia Lai province have been whispering in each others’ ears that Chinese have been collecting pepper plant roots at high prices.

It’s unclear why Chinese businessmen have been hunting for pepper roots. However, it’s obvious that farmers have been cutting down the plants, thus affecting the pepper industry. Meanwhile, pepper is one of the important export items of Vietnam.

Chinese have been seeking to purchase many things in Vietnam, from tree roots to buffalo nails, and no one knows what they buy these things for.

Nhi Anh