Currently Dongguan has two budget grocery stores located in Chashan Township. The two stores sell eggs, edible oil, vegetables and meat which come directly from agricultural producers, and are able to make the prices 20 percent lower than supermarkets at average.
Dongguan will open at least 30 budget grocery stores selling food at lower prices this year, a vice mayor of Dongguan told public on Monday.
"Considering the ongoing food price inflation, Dongguan is to open at least 30 budget grocery stores this year to benefit low-income families", Mr. Deng Zhiguang, a vice mayor of Dongguan said.
Currently Dongguan has two budget grocery stores located in Chashan Township. The two stores sell eggs, edible oil, vegetables and meat which come directly from agricultural producers, and are able to make the prices 20 percent lower than supermarkets at average.
Mr. Deng said with success of the two stores, Dongguan will soon increase the number to at least 30 budget grocery stores, and will cover the most populated communities in the city.
According to Deng, the population in Dongguan consumes approximately 1.5 million tons of vegetables per year, 70% of which are from local farms and some vegetables farms in surrounding cities which have established cooperation with Dongguan. Dongguan is able to maintain self-sufficiency for vegetables, Deng said.
Building budget grocery stores is a program that Guangdong provincial government started to promote last month, aiming at reducing inflation impact on the low-income earners in the province.
Guangdong will open at least 300 budget grocery stores selling food at lower prices in Pearl River Delta cities this year. By the end of the 2013, the grocery store network will cover the whole province, according to a joint statement released by 11 provincial departments including pricing and agricultural authorities.
(By Morvin Chow)
