People wearing masks buy vegetables at a supermarket in downtown Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 27, 2020. (Photo/China News Service)
Many big farm produce wholesale markets and supermarket chains returned to normal operation on Monday, an official with the Ministry of Commerce said.
Fifty big wholesale markets of agricultural products supervised by the ministry have opened for business, Zhu Xiaoliang, director of the ministry's market system development department, told an online press conference.
Over 92 percent of more than 7,000 supermarket outlets in 34 large and medium-sized cities across the country have also resumed operation, he said.
The ministry will continue to closely monitor the operation of wholesale markets and commercial outlets to keep track of inventory and price changes and ensure sufficient supplies of daily necessities, Zhu said.
The country has released frozen pork reserves and increased imports to ensure supplies of food and medical gear amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Except for fresh meat and some leafy vegetables, most essentials are in abundant supply in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, Zhu said, adding that there was no obvious panic buying in the city.
The two biggest local wholesale markets have reopened for business, with daily transactions exceeding 3,000 tonnes, he added.
Over the past week, the country transported 2,000 tonnes of frozen pork to Wuhan, and coordinated with Suning Holdings Group to donate 400 tonnes of vegetables and 36,000 eggs to Hubei, the province hardest hit by the epidemic.
