Mr Hoang made the request at a meeting in Hanoi on October 6 to discuss the production and business situation in September.

Mr Hoang emphasized that there remain risks, which will have an impact on the whole industry in the remaining months of the year. Therefore, all enterprises in the sector should strive to achieve targets set by the Government.

According to Minister Hoang, the country’s industrial production value in September posted the lowest growth rate over the past three years. Fake goods and frauds in oil and gas are taking place in many places in the country. However, exports posted a high growth rate of 39 percent while import surplus did not exceed US$20 billion under the set plan.

Delegates at the meeting also expressed their concern about the export-import situation, especially key export items such as crude oil, garments and textiles, footwear, electronics and wood products. They added that the production situation will continue to encounter difficulties from now till the end of the year due to a fall in material prices, and the high interest rates of banks, which make it hard for enterprises to secure loans to maintain their production activities.

The MoIT said that if there is a smooth co-ordination among agencies in the Ministry, there will be better solutions to stabilise market prices and the production situation.