Key industries like textiles, footwear, electronics, food and seafood processing must be prioritised for support in the “new normal” situation, said Truong Thanh Hoai, Director of the Industry Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

Fishermen load tuna from a fishing boat in Binh Dinh province. The seafood
processing industry is facing a lot of difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Photo: dantri)

Hoai pointed out that the local textile and footwear industry with more than 4 million direct workers and another more than four million indirect workers has been affected badly, while orders for the electronics sector decreased significantly this month and were expected to keep dropping in the following month.

The director added the local automobile manufacturing and assembly industry also dropped with showrooms closing and factories operating in moderation.

“The state needs to give direct support because the commercial banks themselves cannot implement policies to support the businesses. The State should give them direct credit instead to help them overcome difficulties,” said Hoai.

“Support for land rental is applied in a very short time,” he said, suggesting that “The State can increase public investment in which they can buy iron and steel, as well as furniture to support the local industries.”

Sharing the view, Tran Duy Dong, Director of the Domestic Market Department, said: “Those industries must be on top to get the support.”

Dong said the pandemic had a strong impact on the services and tourism industries, reducing the income of workers as well as domestic consumption, thereby reducing spending and personal consumption.

In order to stimulate the domestic market in a "new normal" situation, Dong proposed to implement three measures including ensuring a full supply of goods in the local market, taking full advantage of e-commerce and promoting links between industries.

“The connection between supply and demand such as the retail and distribution sectors and the agricultural and aquatic products producing sector should be boosted to the maximum so that local consumers can help buy local products,” he said.

Earlier, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said “It is necessary to point out the conditions for the industry to operate in a "new normal" and to recover as it was before the pandemic.”

Anh asked all MoIT’s departments and agencies to work with craft associations to get specific data to see what they can support.

"The goal is to develop an action plan to implement the Prime Minister's Directive to bring the economy back to normal as well as striving for development goals of 2020,” said the minister.

Anh also agreed to put key industries of textiles, footwear, electronics, food processing industry, agricultural and seafood at the top priority of the plan.