He asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to submit to the Government a plan to step up exports for 2010 in the first quarter of this year, and to formulate policies for trade promotion for Government approval in the second quarter.

Dung also instructed MoIT to boost cross-border trade, while increasing consumption of agricultural produces.

The Prime Minster called on the ministry to increase production of high-quality consumer goods and to improve distribution channels.

Also in the first quarter, MoIT has been asked to implement import and customs quotas and to limit imports of products believed to be harmful to health, the environment, plants and animals.

In addition, Dung said tighter control should be applied to certain imports of restricted goods, such as agricultural products, seafood, processed products, cosmetics and medicines.

The leader also directed the Ministry of Finance to continue providing guidelines for VAT rebates and to shorten the time it took to clear customs, particularly for materials used for domestic production.

The ministry will also have to complete a project on export-credit insurance in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of Viet Nam will supervise credit provision to facilitate access to capital to boost production and exports. The SBV will also control loans to restrict the import of non-essential consumer goods and products.

The Prime Minister said that he had directed the Ministry of Planning and Investment to work closely with the finance ministry on formulating regulations to encourage State groups and corporations to invest in production.

The trade ministry has forecast that the country's export turnover this year would reach roughly US$60 billion, up 6 per cent against last year.

To meet the target, MoIT plans to implement more than 200 projects to promote trade abroad with VND250 billion ($13.9 million) from the State budget - 45 per cent more than last year.

The ministry said it expected key exports such as cashews, pepper, rice, coffee, seafood, rubber, footwear and apparel to rise due to an easing of the global financial crisis.

Source: VietNamNet/Viet Nam News