The Corn Wholesale Market, located in the heart of Saigon, has been a bustling hub for around 20 years. Many of the vendors here used to trade at the famous Cau Muoi Market in District 1. Today, this market is recognized as the largest corn wholesale hub in the city, distributing corn across Ho Chi Minh City’s districts and other provinces.
Every day, heavy trucks carrying tons of corn from nearby provinces like Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, and the Mekong Delta arrive at the market. From here, corn is distributed across the city and beyond, with thousands of tons being consumed daily.
While corn typically takes at least 90 days to harvest, the Ngã Ba Bầu corn market operates year-round, 24/7. To maintain a consistent supply, traders source corn from various provinces and cities in the Southern region.
Wholesalers have to coordinate with different provinces and place orders with farmers for off-season crops or staggered planting to ensure a continuous supply throughout the three-month cycle. As a result, the market maintains a stable supply of corn all year round, not just during the harvest season.
Corn is sold in bags weighing 100 to 120 kg each. According to the wholesalers, the time after Tet is when corn is in season, so the market is at its busiest. In contrast, the market slows down in September when the Mekong Delta experiences its annual flood season.
The market primarily offers two types of corn: sticky corn and American corn. These are further categorized into four grades, with the best quality corn being the largest ears that are neither too young nor too old, have uniform kernels, and fresh green husks. These premium corn cobs wholesale for around 3,500 VND each.
The price of corn decreases with size and quality. The lowest grade is usually corn that is too young, infested with pests, or has few kernels; this type is often purchased for animal feed. To discern the quality of corn, one only needs to inspect the husks and silks.
Individuals and businesses come to the market to purchase corn in various quantities, ranging from a few kilograms to hundreds of kilograms. The corn is first transported to the market by trucks from different sources, then sorted and sold. The largest and best corn cobs fetch 4,000 VND each, while the price decreases for smaller or lower-quality cobs, going as low as 1,000 VND per cob (or 7,000 VND per kilogram if sold by weight)
Thousands of people flock to this market daily to purchase corn wholesale for redistribution. Some buy in small quantities of a few dozen kilograms to boil and resell in local markets or on street carts. Others buy in bulk, using three-wheeled vehicles or motorcycles to distribute corn to other traders.
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