Việt Nam is likely to reach total export turnover of US$200 billion for 2017, increasing more than 13 per cent from last year and exceeding the set target. – Photo cafef.vn

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam is likely to reach total export turnover of US$200 billion for 2017, increasing more than 13 per cent from last year and exceeding the set target, deputy minister of Industry and Trade Đỗ Thắng Hải claimed at a meeting in Hà Nội yesterday. 

Hải said that exports of garments, footwear and wooden products will enjoy substantial increases in the second half of the year. 

In stark contrast, imports are forecast to taper off as most equipment firms plan to buy was purchased at the beginning of the year. Import value is estimated at $205 billion. 

The country’s trade deficit is estimated at $5 billion, or 2.5 per cent of export turnover and lower than the National Assembly’s goal. 

To realise the objective, the ministry is focusing on addressing difficulties for exporters, promoting market information to tackle market barriers and popularising free trade deals. 

Hải said that various measures will be implemented to support domestic enterprises in meeting quality standards of importers and increasing the value of export products, especially agro-forestry-fishery goods. 

The ministry also plans to help farm produce enter new markets and to tighten management of import-export activities for the rest of the year.

He added that the ministry will work to tackle businesses’ difficulties through tax and fee policies to help them reduce costs, helping them develop markets and compete with imported products.

In addition, the ministry will review delayed projects to bring them into operation as soon as possible.

“The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will create a competitive market to protect local production, especially steel, automobile, fertiliser and chemical sectors,” he added.

The deputy minister said the predicted growth rate of more than 8 per cent in the last months of the year would be driven by the processing and manufacturing sectors.

The mineral exploitation industry was expected to see difficulties due to weather conditions and low market demand and exports, he said.

MoIT and Việt Nam’s overseas rep. office jointly promote trade

Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh expected that the heads of Việt Nam’s representative offices under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will seek pork consumption markets to help animal breeders overcome plunging prices.

Anh made the statement in a meeting with heads of Việt Nam’s representative offices in Hà Nội yesterday, saying the offices should provide information to help the ministry build mechanisms and policies to develop sustainable production and export chains.

Việt Nam has not built a value chain despite having 21 exported products with value of more than $1 billion each. Its exports therefore are not sustainable.

He hoped that the heads of the offices would pay attention to increasing export value in the country’s two main export markets of the US and EU. In addition, they were urged to seek exports to China.

He expected the offices to support the ministry in resolving difficulties. --VNS