Farmers pack Lai Vung Mandarine - a speciality of the Mekong Delta's Dong Thap Province. Agricultural Minister Cao Duc Phat called on other ministries to join hands to expand export markets for agricultural products at yesterday's cabinet meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo Van Tri
HA NOI (VNS)— Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked ministries, sectors and localities to spare no efforts towards targets on stabilising the macro economy and keeping the inflation rate at last year’s level of 6.8 per cent.
While chairing a monthly cabinet meeting in Ha Noi yesterday, PM Dung urged Government agencies to closely control prices, especially for electricity and fuel, in a transparent and open manner while ensuring balanced supply and demand of goods, especially essential items.
He asked the State Bank of Viet Nam to continue with moves on ensuring the interest rate suits the trend of declining inflation, helping stabilise the currency market and macro-economy, and making it easier for enterprises to access capital.
The Ministry of Finance was required to seriously implement finance-budget tasks, ensure balanced budget collection and spending, and prevent tax fraud and evasion.
At the same time, relevant agencies were also requested to take part in drastically restructuring the economy, especially in reforming State-owned enterprises and banks. PM Dung stressed the need for agricultural restructuring to ensure the sustainable development of the sector.
He urged the acceleration of land clearance for key projects as well as the disbursement of official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI).
“Ministries, sectors and localities should work closer together on market and price control, while strictly dealing with smuggling and trading of low-quality goods,” he said.
In regards to social welfare issues, the Government leader called for a comprehensive package of measures to continue social welfare policies with a focus on underprivileged groups.
He suggested more mechanisms to support the poor, ethnic minorities and farmers to improve their lives, adding that hurdles in the way of providing houses for low-income earners, workers and students should be overcome.
The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Health to review and keep a close eye on the vaccination process and step up measures to ease hospital overloads.
He also asked ministries, sectors and localities to be more active in supplying precise and full socio-economic information to the media, while considering feedback from the public to promote social consensus.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh said the economy has seen good results during the January-July period.
He noted that the consumer price index in July edged up 2.68 percent, the lowest growth level in 10 years. Meanwhile, total exports during the first seven months of the year were estimated at US$72.74 billion, up 14.3 percent year-on-year.
The industrial production index (IIP) rose 4.5 per cent, 6 per cent and 7 per cent in the first and second quarters and July respectively. The number of newly-registered enterprises in the first seven months rose by 8.4 per cent year-on-year.
In addition, social security and welfare policies continued to be implemented, helping improve the lives of people, especially the poor, unemployed and ethnic minorities.
However, Minister Vinh noted that the economy is also encountering many difficulties due to the risk of high inflation during the final months of the year as well as challenges such as limited access to capital among enterprises, low credit growth and slow budget collection.
During the meeting, cabinet members also sought measures to remove hurdles for the market, promote production and rein in inflation in line with maintaining economic recovery and settling difficulties for the property market.
According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, securing new markets for exports was the biggest problem facing agriculture. He suggested other ministries join hands with his ministry to expand export markets for agricultural products.
Spotlighting the significant role of agriculture, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai called for more attention to measures to protect agricultural products in particular and export commodities in general.
Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung said his ministry has co-ordinated with relevant agencies and localities, especially Ha Noi and HCM City, to effectively disburse the Government’s VND30,000 billion housing credit package. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News