Hanoi (VNA) - Mꦫinister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has asked cities and provinces across the country to urgently complete projects and strategies for local industrial and commercial development to promptly integrate them in provincial and sectoral planning.

At the online conference between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and cities and provinces on April 18, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien directed the relevant agencies to focus on solutions to remove difficulties for businesses, creating a premise for the implementation of the targets set for 2023.

Falling consumption puts pressure on manufacturing industries

Le Quoc Anh, Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People’s Committee, said that the emerging developments of the world situation could affect input prices and rice production. Moreover, materials for fishing are increasingly scarce, leading to a local shortage of raw materials for export, while major markets such as the US, EU, and Japan are reducing orders for leather and footwear. To remove these shortages, he suggested that the Ministry of Industry and Trade continue to support localities to fully leverage the signed free trade agreements (FTAs). Trade counselors will strengthen providing market information to businesses, and coordinate to lessen sea freight rates, thereby promoting production and business and creating momentum for growth. Vice Chairman of Can Tho Municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Hong emphasised that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has affected input prices for production, so local businesses also face many difficulties. "Although it is not as drastic in cities, some businesses still have to cut working hours and reduce the number of workers due to difficulties in business outputs," he noted. In the context that traditional markets were affected by reduced consumption demand, the leader of Can Tho province asked the ministry to support localities to take advantage of market developments, especially markets with FTAs to promote exports.

 Synchronisation from planning a must

The report of the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed that in the first quarter of this year, the global economic slowdown was faster than expected. The sharp drop of total foreign demand, leading to a drop of orders, had strongly impacted industrial production. However, according to the minister, the subjective cause is the delay in announcing plans, including national planning, national sectoral planning, regional and provincial planning. The other reason is that the low professionalism in production and export activities of many enterprises and localities, which makes it difficult for export through official channels. To fulfill the 2023 target, Minister Dien suggested localities to urgently complete projects, strategies and plans for local industrial and commercial development to promptly integrate them in provincial and national planning. To fully leverage foreign markets, he asked the localities and businesses to meet standards and regulations right from the planning stage, reorganize production to "sell what the market needs, not what they have," as well as comply with market signals to bring value to the locality. The minister suggested that units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, based on local recommendations, advise the ministry's leaders to promptly remove the difficulties. Regarding recommendations beyond its authority, the ministry will report to the Government and relevant ministries and agencies for timely solutions./.