(TCCT) At a press conference to give periodic updates on the industry and trade in Ho Chi Minh City during the first quarter of 2023, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade Bui Ta Hoang Vu said that the city’s industry has gone down, but it is still at the lowest level in the country and is likely to start growing again in the near future.

Industry in the trend of growth recovery

According to data from the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City on industrial production, commercial activities in the city in the first quarter, and the key tasks of the second quarter of 2023, the first three months of 2023, businesses in the city still face problems and challenges because of the high price of construction materials, tight monetary policy to fight inflation, and the risk of economic recession in many countries. But local businesses are still trying to find many ways to keep production and business activities stable.

The Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City helps companies by. Ho Chi Minh City is still working on the Banking-Business Connection Program, the Business Development Program, the three key product industries (mechanics and automation, food processing and food, rubber, and plastic), the program to stabilize the market for necessary goods, etc.

So, Ho Chi Minh City’s measure of industrial production (IIP) is. In the same time period, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to drop by 0.9% (in the same time period, it will rise by 1%). When there aren’t enough orders for production and costs are high, businesses still have trouble. Even though industrial output is still down, it is on the rise. In January, IIP was down 15%, in two months it was down 2.5%, and in three months it was down 0.9%.

Four key industry groups continue to drive the growth of the industry as a whole. Industrial output is expected to grow by 8.2% in the first quarter of 2023, which is 5.4% more than in the same quarter of 2022. The pharmaceutical, rubber, and plastics industries are expected to grow by 22.9% (they grew by 18.9% in the same time period), and the production of rubber and plastic products is slowly picking up. The food, food, and beverage processing industries are expected to grow by 18.5% (they grew by 3.2% in the same time period), and the beverage industry is recovering strongly (up 53.7%).

Ho Chi Minh City’s total income from sales of goods and services in stores. Ho Chi Minh City’s retail sales for the first three months of the year were estimated to be VND 263,981 billion, up 4.7% from the same time in 2022 (but down 4.8% from the same time in 2022). Retail sales of goods were estimated to be VND 163,606 billion, up 9.1% (but up 4.8% in the same time period), and made up 61.97% of the total retail sales of goods and services.

The City Department of Industry and Trade is still working to stabilize the commodity market in order to keep prices from going up too much on consumer goods, especially on things like food, clothing, etc. that people need to live. So far, the way systems are set up in the area The city has 3 wholesale markets, 223/232 traditional markets that are open, 239 supermarkets (107 general supermarkets that sell food and 132 specialized supermarkets), 47 commercial centers, and more than 3,000 convenience stores. Distribution systems are still in place, so people in the area can still get the food and food items they need.

In the first quarter of 2023, businesses, shopping centers, supermarkets, and other places of business will work hard to make sure that there are plenty of things available to meet people’s needs. Trade centers, supermarkets, and retail stores put on a lot of appealing sales and discounts on a wide range of things to get people to buy more. Prices for essential goods didn’t change too much because of supply and demand, and the market’s buying power kept going up.

But the trade and service industries still face a lot of problems and challenges, such as high transportation costs, a lack of storage space, and a shortage of workers. Also, people’s incomes haven’t changed much, so the trend in consumption is still to shop for essential goods and buy less of other things that aren’t as important.

Still, the electricity industry makes sure to do its job well, which is to provide stable and safe energy that meets the needs of production, business, and everyday life in the City. In particular, industrial electricity production is expected to be 6,203 million kWh in the first three months of 2023. This is up 1.42 percent from the same time in 2022. Power loss is thought to be 2.97% in the first three months of the year. The quality and reliability of the power supply kept getting better, as shown by the indicators of the number of outages per customer (SAIFI) and the time outage per customer (SAIDI), which were, respectively, 0.04 times/customer, which is 72.12% better than the same time in 2022, and 3.13 minutes, which is 65.55 % better than the same time in 2022.

10 key tasks in the second quarter of 2023

In the second quarter of 2023, Ho Chi Minh City’s industry and trade will implement 10 key work groups:

First, set goals and development directions for industries and sectors like industry, commerce, logistics, and energy in the Ho Chi Minh City Planning project to 2030, with a view to 2050. At the same time, study and propose a plan to set up space for industry development in the Ho Chi Minh City Planning project to 2030, with a view to 2050.

Second, focus on putting tasks and solutions from 3 Programs to help the city’s key industries grow. Three strategies to grow the mechanical-automation, chemical-plastic rubber, and food processing industries will be finished soon.

Third, promote the use of information technology to encourage digital transformation in production and business. This will be done with 3 pillars: 1) Strengthening the use of information technology, step by-step digital transformation in management. the state to better serve people and businesses; 2) Pilot implementation of the Digital Transformation Project in the fields of logistics, energy, e-commerce, and trade promotion; and 3) Research, develop, and implement.

Fourth, support trade promotion activities and put money into building distribution systems and buying agent systems to make local, regional, and international connections stronger. international. In particular, you should focus on making it easier for businesses to work together and with the delivery system in Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast, Southwest, Central Highlands, Duyen South Central Coast, and some northern provinces.

Fifth, give advice and send the City People’s Committee plans for developing the logistics industry in the city in 2023, e-commerce in the city in 2023, the Focused Promotion Program in 2023, and the Industry and Trade Promotion Program in 2023.

Sixth, put into action the theme for 2023, which is “Improve the efficiency of civil service work, speed up administrative reform, improve the investment environment, encourage economic growth, and ensure social security.”

Seventh, to give advice on how to set up a conference to review the program of socio-economic development cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of the South Central Coast. The conference should focus on putting in place trade connection activities between large distribution systems and businesses in the city and provinces and cities on the South Central Coast.

Eighth, set up an international conference called “Orientation for Industrial Development in Ho Chi Minh City to 2030, with a view to 2050.”

Nine, set up the 2023 Vietnam Export Fair.

Tenth, set up a meeting between the Representative Offices of Foreign Traders and companies in Ho Chi Minh City that work in the transportation business. Ho Chi Minh in 2023

Source: Cong Thuong magazine