The statement was made by Minister-Chairman of theGovernment Office Tran Van Son while he chaired the Government press conferenceannouncing the outcomes of the Government’s regular meeting on August 11.
During the meeting, representatives of ministries, sectorsand localities had proposed many urgent solutions to remove difficulties,control prices, and maintain sustainable growth, stated Son.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasised that as theactions in this period are decisive, it is necessary to take advantage of the social distancing period currently applied in many pandemic hotspots to carry out appropriatesolutions; continue speeding up the implementation of the vaccine strategy;step up agricultural production and trade in goods; and prevent productiondisruptions, Son added.
According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, theCOVID-19 outbreak in July has had a significant impact on all aspects of theeconomy, especially in many industrial zones in the southern region. The pandemichas disrupted production, circulation and sale of goods in these areas.
In addition, domestic purchasing power and exports have decreasedremarkably, and the lives people in quarantine sites, locked-down areas and thoseimposing social distancing have been severely affected.
In the first seven months of 2021, the average consumerprice index increased by 1.64 percent year-on-year, the lowest growth ratesince 2016. Index of industrial production rose by 7.9 percent over the sameperiod last year. Total import and export turnover reached more than 373billion USD, in which export turnover was valued at over 185 billion USD, up25.5 percent year-on-year./.