China's Commerce Ministry Bolsters Food Supplies Ahead of Major Holidays

Ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, China's Ministry of Commerce announced measures to guarantee the supply of daily necessities and maintain price stability nationwide. The ministry has initiated a daily monitoring system, coordinated the release of 5,100 metric tons of central reserve frozen beef and mutton in ethnic minority regions, and instructed retailers to increase inventories. According to ministry data, inventories of meat, eggs, vegetables, and milk at large supermarkets rose by 3% to 8% in mid-September, with overall prices remaining broadly stable despite slight increases in eggs and vegetables.

The combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday represents one of China's peak consumption periods each year. Spikes in household demand, combined with intense travel surges toward tourist destinations, often create localized supply bottlenecks and price volatility. By activating administrative coordination, inventory mandates, and strategic reserve releases, commercial authorities seek to anchor market expectations and maintain social stability around staple food items.

Ahead of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, China's Ministry of Commerce has rolled out a package of administrative and logistics measures to safeguard the supply of daily necessities and stabilize retail prices across the country, according to reports carried by Xinhua and People's Daily. During a recent national teleconference, the commerce ministry directed local commercial departments to bolster supply guarantees for basic consumer staples. The ministry announced it would implement a daily monitoring system throughout the holiday window to track supply-and-demand dynamics in real time and mitigate market disruptions. To accommodate elevated consumer spending during the dual holidays, authorities directed key supply-guarantee enterprises to reinforce links between production and retail distribution. Retailers were instructed to broaden sourcing channels and increase stockpiles of fresh produce, mooncakes, and other high-demand seasonal items. Addressing surges in population mobility, the ministry specifically instructed commercial authorities in key cities and popular tourist destinations to lock in supply sources in advance and prepare emergency cross-regional logistics contingencies. As part of these targeted interventions, the ministry coordinated with relevant central departments to organize the release of 5,100 metric tons of frozen beef and mutton from central government reserves into minority-inhabited areas, aiming to boost local holiday meat availability. Official monitoring data indicates that national supplies of daily essentials remain sufficient, with overall price levels stable. Between September 14 and September 20, inventories of meat, eggs, vegetables, and dairy products at large supermarket chains increased by 3% to 8% compared to early September levels. At large wholesale agricultural product markets, average wholesale prices for grain, cooking oil, and meat held largely steady. While wholesale prices for eggs and vegetables experienced modest increases, prices for fruit and aquatic products registered slight declines.