Hanoi (VNA) – DeputyPrime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has urged the Government’s Steering Committee forPrice Management to seek measures in order to minimize external impacts ondomestic prices, thus keeping CPI growth below 4 percent in 2018.

Speaking at a meeting of thecommittee in Hanoi on May 29, Deputy PM Hue, who is also head of the committee,said the consumer price index (CPI) growth in the first four month of this yearwas in line with the scenario set by the committee thanks to coordination inprice management between ministries.

However, he said, over the pasttwo months, higher prices of oil, gas, pork and food, plus complex developmentsin the world’s market have put huge pressure on the price management work.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of theFinance Ministry’s Price Management Department, the CPI expanded by 3.01percent in the first five months of 2018.

The ministry forecast that suchfactors as floods, the adjustment of prices of health care and educationservices, along with an increase in the basic salary and environmental tax onfuels would put more pressure on the CPI.

However, the pressure would beeased thanks to the stable demand for fresh food in the summer, a decrease of10-15 percent in medicine prices under the centralised bidding programme fordrugs, and stable interest rates, among others.

Deputy Minister of Industry andTrade Do Thang Hai said his ministry has instructed the Electricity of Vietnam(EVN) Group to save production costs so as to maintain the current power retailprices, while closely coordinating with the Ministry of Finance to effectivelyand harmoniously use the oil and gas stabilisation fund.

Deputy Minister of Transport LeDinh Tho said Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll stations have basically adjustedroad fees in line with the government’s instructions and stabilised prices ofseaport and airport services.

Concluding the working session,Deputy PM Hue stressed that it is possible to control the CPI growth below 4percent in 2018.

He asked the ministries tomaintain prices of goods managed by the State and continue with the review workto accelerate the decrease of prices of such products as drugs and medicalmaterials.

The Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development and other relevant ministries were asked to maintain riceexport structure, control the number of pig farms and actively negotiate withChina to ship more Vietnamese fruits to the country.

The Deputy PM also urged theHealth Ministry to push the centralised bidding of drugs and the bidding ofmedical equipment, while promptly issuing a circular to replace Circular No.37. The new circular should come into force from July 15, 2018, stipulating thedecreased of 80 types of medical services.-VNA