Plea to control prices in capital
Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen The Thao has asked agencies at all levels as well as companies to intensify their management work and take urgent measures to curb price increases to stabilise the market in the last months of this year and first months of next year.
The chairman's Guidance No.23/CT-UBND was issued due to unexpected fluctuations in the cost of goods such as steel, oil, gas and gold, and the increase in the cost of input materials.
Thao asked the People's Committees and corporations of the city to encourage enterprises and household businesses to produce economically and increase the supply of goods and services to prevent unreasonable price hikes designed to take advantage of market fluctuations, disaster and disease.
The cost of products such as food, foodstuffs and medicine must be strictly controlled, said Thao.
Financial and market management departments will have to keep track of prices, supply and demand, conformity to pricing regulations, and punish those who speculate and join hands to create a monopoly to make illegal profits.
The Industry and Trade Department is responsible for controlling the market, preventing and punishing those who sell fake, banned and low-quality goods in line with the Government's regulations on administrative punishment on trade activities.
The Department of Finance must advise the municipal People's Committee on the financial and monetary measures necessary to stabilise prices and on how to use the local budget economically and efficiently.
Thao also asked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Department to make plans for the prevention of the spread of cattle and poultry diseases while asking the Department of Health to increase examinations and control the cost of medicine.
The State Bank of Viet Nam's Ha Noi branch was required to instruct local commercial banks to create conditions for organisations and individuals to access loans to expand production and develop their businesses.
HCM City's price
Producers and distributors of several essential goods who have signed up for HCM City's price stabilisation programme have increased production and supply.
The items are rice, sugar, cooking oil, meat, poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and processed goods and 13 businesses have promised to supply them at prices that are at least 10 per cent lower than market prices from now until Tet (Lunar New Year) next February.
Food company Vissan has 100,000 frozen pigs in stock and another 5,000 tonnes of meat which are thought to be enough to meet demand until Tet.
Besides buying pigs from farmers, the company is also raising 40,000 heads.
"The costs of cattle feed and others are rising unexpectedly but the company has foreseen it and can cope with the situation, and will sell the goods at promised prices," Van Duc Muoi, general director of Vissan, said.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan, deputy general director of Sai Gon Co.op, said the supermarket chain company had more than 150,000 tonnes of food in stock, including 30,000 tonnes bought under the programme, three times higher than expected.
It planned to stock around VND1.2 trillion (US$62 million) worth goods for sale during Tet holiday, he said.
Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the HCM City People's Committee, said besides ensuring sufficient supply of goods, the city should also strengthen the distribution network to keep prices stable during the New Year.
Low-income workers and suburban residents must be the target of the programme, she added.
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