Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has instructed the Governmentto provide the maximum possible assistance to production and businessactivities in the context of complicated impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Speakingat the end of the Government’s regular February meeting on March 3, PM Phuc urgedall-level authorities and sectors to closely follow the Government’s guidelineof taking great caution but without being pessimistic while striving for thedouble targets of controlling epidemic and promoting economic growth.

Hetook noted of the declining growth rate of many sectors, especially tourism andaviation. Many enterprises face a shortage of materials, while unfavourableweather conditions such as drought or hailstorms in northern provinces furthercaused difficulties to production and people’s daily life.

Toovercome the difficulties, PM Phuc urged ministries and agencies to immediatelywork out specific solutions and tasks to help sectors hard hit by COVID-19, particularlytrade, finance, services, and import-export.

Herequired the immediate implementation of credit support packages worth at least30 trillion VND (nearly 1.3 billion USD) to support enterprises and the people.

ThePM underlined the goal of stabilizing macro economy, controlling inflation andpromoting growth in order to counter the adverse effects from outside.

Healso required relevant agencies to create more favourable conditions to attractand disburse private and foreign investment; and push forward administrativereforms and building of institutions to facilitate production and businessactivities.

Theagriculture ministry was told to early submit a scheme to boost the export offarm produce, reduce production costs in agriculture and develop farm produceprocessing.

ThePM demanded more drastic efforts to address the problem of IUU (Illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing so as to havethe EU’s yellow card removed.

Besides,PM Phuc instructed accelerating a number of key projects, such as the LongThanh international airport./.