Khammuan authorities monitoring food prices in flood-hit areas

Khammuan province: Provincial authorities are monitoring and regulating the price of consumer goods, especially rice and meat, amid shortages caused by flooding in six districts.
Khammuan was one of several provinces devastated by floods after tropical depression Podul brought torrential rain at the end of August and the beginning of September. Many hectares of rice and other crops were damaged, according to the province’s Agriculture and Forestry Department.
Director of the province’s Industry and Commerce Department, Mr Thongxay Mangnomek, said on Tuesday that since the floods the department had been monitoring the price of goods, especially rice, meat and fish, on sale in 10 districts.
“The department has forbidden vendors from increasing the price of these food items. We have assigned provincial and district officials to carry out checks on prices at the Km 2 and Km 3 markets and in other districts. As far as we can see, prices are the same as usual,” he said.
The department has partnered with the Khammuan Rice Mill Development Group to set up a stall selling Grade 2 sticky rice at the Km 3 market for 6,700 kip per kg, as well as in Bualapha and Mahaxay districts.
The three grades of rice on sale in Khammuan province normally range from 8,000 to 10,000 per kg, Mr Thongxay said.
Some 69,844 people in 16,670 families living in 231 villages in six districts of the province have been affected by the floods.
In Mahaxay district, 38 villages with 1,918 families were affected, in Nongbok district 33 villages with 1,779 families suffered losses or damage, while in Yommalath district 37 villages that are home to 2,920 families were affected. In Bualapha district, 49 villages with 3,624 families suffered losses, in Xebangfay district 42 villages with 3,150 families were hit by flooding and in Xaybuathong district 32 villages with 2,079 families suffered varying degrees of flooding.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update October 3, 2019)