A Commercial Information Forecast has been published by the
Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and appeared on its website Monday,
Huang Hai, assistant to the minister of commerce, told a press
conference in Beijing that day.
This information forecast will broadcast weekly price falls and
rises of nearly 60 agricultural products and of more than 40 means
of production. Information appearing on the website will include
the weekly top 10 best-selling products, and monthly sales figures
for enterprises operating in wholesale, retail, catering,
accommodation and other areas of business.
Also included will be the monthly storage status of important
means of production and industrial consumables. Changes in the size
of order for durable consumables and means of production will also
be reflected. Expert opinion on hot market issues and trends will
be included on a weekly basis. In addition, international, national
and local market trends will be discussed regularly.
MOFCOM's urban and rural market information service system will
provide information support for the forecast. The system includes
basic indicators of eight major and 527 minor categories on market
scale, consumption pattern, distribution networks, important
commodities and enterprises as well as modernization and
organizational levels. Based on the above indicators, MOFCOM
released six comprehensive indices covering sale, price, orders,
storage, commodity market and consumption trends.
It also includes an information storage system represented by
the National Commodity Circulating Database, and an information
gathering system made up of four direct monitoring systems on daily
necessities, important means of production, key logistic
enterprises and special domestic trade management, and three
indirect monitoring systems on social information collection,
special surveys and experts' evaluation.
So far there are more than 5000 sample enterprises under the
direct monitoring of MOFCOM, which involves 600 consumables in 21
categories, 300 means of production in 11 categories, covering 258
cities and 147 counties. MOFCOM also has relevant information on 11
countries and regions.
(China.org.cn by Li Shen, April 19, 2006)