Local specialty products enjoy sale boom as New Year approaches

Products with local characteristics are enjoying a sale boom across China as New Year' Day approaches.

The winter fishing in the iced Chagan Lake, a tradition that is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, has entered its golden sales season in northeast China's Jilin.

The target catch for this winter in the lake is 1.5 million to 1.75 million kilograms, and sales are expected to reach 13 million yuan (about 1.85 million U.S. dollars) around the New Year's Day.

"Online sales account for about 60 percent of our total sales. Relying on cold chain logistics, we can ship our fish products nationwide, reaching as far as Sanya in Hainan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, ensuring delivery to consumers' tables within 48 hours," said Zhang Wenping, deputy head of the Chagan Lake fish farm.

Xiapu County of east China's Fujian Province has recently seen a peak in fishing boats returning to ports, with major aquaculture bases shipping their catches in large quantities.

At a large aquatic product trading center in the county, refrigerator trucks were waiting in a long queue. Since mid-December, the daily trading volume of aquatic products here has reached about 50 tons, an increase of nearly 20 percent compared to usual, with places of destination covering multiple provinces across China.

"With the New Year's Day just around the corner, sales have been booming this past couple of days, so we've increased our supply. We currently have plenty of stock and prices are relatively stable," said Zhang Tinghua, head of the Xiapu Aquatic Products Distribution Center.

Meanwhile, rural markets across the country are bustling with activity. At an outdoor rural fair in Yuanshi County of north China's Hebei Province, over 1,800 stalls line the streets, attracting over 8,000 visitors. The market offers a wide variety of authentic rural specialties, creating a vibrant atmosphere that draws not only local villagers but also many city residents and tourists.

At a flower market in Shuozhou City of north China's Shanxi Province, flowers and potted plants with auspicious meanings, such as blessings and fortune, also attracted flocks of consumers.

Local specialty products enjoy sale boom as New Year approaches

The prices of some life-saving medicines have soared to levels that are unaffordable for ordinary people in Venezuela, as the United States has ramped up military presence in the Caribbean off Venezuela's coast, alongside escalating sanctions, blockades and military threats against the oil-rich South American nation since late August.

At a northeastern suburb in the capital city Caracas, locals can still purchase most of the commonly used medicines at a major supermarket, where some antibiotics have been sold out, and some first-aid medicines and supplies have become too costly for ordinary residents.

"I'm here mainly to buy antibiotics. I have problems with my lungs. But I can't get all I want, such as vancomycin," said a resident named Alfonso.

"(Recent tensions have affected) the supplies and prices of drugs. The prices of cancer drugs, insulin drugs and albumin are very high, and most patients here cannot afford them," said Giovanna Gonzalez, a pharmacist with the supermarket.

Around 90 percent of the raw materials for drugs in Venezuela rely on imports, and the country's medical equipment such as monitors and anesthesia machines are almost entirely dependent on overseas supplies.

Main international airlines suspended flights to and from Venezuela in November, and U.S. blockades have delayed many cargo ships for a month, with some refusing to dock in Venezuela for safety concerns.

"Venezuela has been caught in the complex humanitarian emergency declared by the World Health Organization for about 10 years. If the suspension of flights persists, relevant international companies will have to choose more difficult or longer transportation routes, which will further push up the already high prices of medicines and medical equipment in Venezuela, and the patients will pay more money," said Huniades Urbina-Medina, president of the National Academy of Medicine of Venezuela.

Venezuela's medicine prices soar to unaffordable level amid US blockades