(VOVworld) – The Vietnamese government has attached great importance to ensuring goods supply for the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year or Tet Holiday. The increased supply during the year-end months is a positive move to prevent further inflation, and boost production, sales, and consumption in response to a campaign calling on the Vietnamese public to buy Vietnamese products. VOV’s To Tuan reports.

Stocks of essential goods tripled or quadrupled enough to meet 40% of market needs. (Photo: Internet)

2012 was a difficult year for the Vietnamese economy due to the global economic downturn, a decline in business production and people’s incomes leading to low purchasing power and high inventories, and a consumer price index that fluctuated unpredictably. Early last year, CPI growth was relatively stable but it escalated in September, then fell gradually during the final quarter to 6.81%.  To achieve the goal of inflation control and macroeconomic stabilization, since the middle of last year the government has held video conferences with 36 provinces and cities. It has held an year’s end a video-conference with 63 provinces and cities on implementing a NA resolution to develop the economy and ensure social security for 2013 as well as goods supply during the Tet holiday. Encouraging Vietnamese consumers to prioritize Vietnamese goods is a practical way to boost the economy. To date, 6,400 venues have been set up to sell locally made goods. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are leading the drive to open outlets selling state-subsidized commodities and expanding it to rural and remote areas, populated residential areas, and industrial parks. Nguyen Van Dong, Deputy Director of Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade, said ‘By December, Hanoi had organized 32 Vietnamese market days which involved each of the 14 outlying districts holding two market days. Similar activities have been carried out in industrial and processing zones in Me Linh, Soc Son, and Chuong My districts. As scheduled, we’ll organize 10 more market-days and mobile selling sessions to bring made-in-Vietnam goods to rural areas in combination with the program to offer commodities at state-subsidized prices. We have successfully arranged more than 380 of the planned 400 mobile selling sessions.’

Hanoi has spent more than 18 billion USD from the municipal budget to help enterprises stockpile 10 essential goods for the coming holiday.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City has been opening more outlets to sell Vietnamese goods and goods at stabilized prices and has spent almost 264 million USD for Tet goods, over half of the money for subsidized commodities. Stocks of essential goods like rice, beef, poultry, beverages, and confectionary have tripled or quadrupled enough to meet 40% of market needs. Le Ngoc Dao, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Industry and Trade, said ‘We’re completely confident about the volume of goods stockpiled for Tet. We predict that there won’t be any big price changes this time, especially for poultry as businesses have promised not to increase them.’

In Ho Chi Minh City, there are more than 3,500 points of sale. Local businesses, divided into three groups under the direction of the Saigon Trading Group and the Saigon Trade Cooperatives Union, have created 500 mobile selling sessions.

To Tuan