Accessing markets is the biggest challenge for these enterprises, Dam saidwhile chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee of National Science andTechnology Programme in Hanoi on January 9.
He said most Vietnamese businesses are small and medium sized. Although they producea lot of products, not many of them are recognised as typical nationalproducts.
Therefore, the Deputy PM, who is also head of the steering committee, suggestedthat the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) urge enterprises to registernational products.
“To be recognised as national ones, products have to meet certain criteria.Once they become national products, they would be promoted and protected by theState and the whole community,” Dam said.
Due to limited resources for national science and technology programmes,priority should be given to sectors that Vietnam had potential in, he said.
A report delivered at the meeting by MoST showed positive results have beenmade in the national product development programme, national high-techdevelopment programme and national renovation technology programme over thepast few years.
These above-mentioned programmes drew morethan 150 firms with over 4.3 trillion VND (185 million USD) in investment bythe end of last year.
Of these, many enterprises have average growth rate of 18.8 percent, with someat up to 50 percent.
While emphasising the need to continue implementing these programmes,participants also pointed out shortcomings which need to be dealt with, includingsolving obstacles relating to financial mechanisms for investment in scienceand technology.
It is necessary to synchronise mechanisms which link the three nationalprogrammes with incentives relating to loans, bank credit and developmentfunds, they said.
Special support should be given to enterprises which have national or high-techproducts in the domestic market. They should also be helped to advertisethemselves overseas.
Vu Dai Thang, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, said each country hasits own national products.
According to him, policies to support national products have been stipulated inthe National Product Development Programme by 2020 which was approved in 2010.
The goal of the programme is to develop products under the Made-in-Vietnambrand that have high competitiveness and will benefit the country, and topromote technology upgrades for their production.
“National products must be competitive in terms of quality of businesses.Therefore, the Ministry of Science and Technology should call on enterprises toenhance connectivity, creating products and goods bearing Vietnamese brandswith added value and high competitiveness in the market,” Dam said.-VNA