On November 18, at the Vietnam-Czech Republic Friendship Labor Cultural Palace in Hai Phong City, the Ministry of Industry and Trade organized a conference entitled "Connecting production and consumption of products in mountainous, remote and island areas".

The conference aims to discuss issues in the implementation of the program to develop trade in mountainous, remote and island areas in the period of 2021 – 2025 and discuss solutions, policies on production support, processing, connecting consumption, and promoting trade for commercial products in mountainous, remote, and island areas.

Positive results in production, distribution and consumption

Following the period of 2015 - 2020, in order to continue promoting commercial activities in mountainous, remote and island areas, on July 13, 2021, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1162/QD-TTg approving the program to develop trade in mountainous, remote and island areas for the period of 2021 - 2025.

According to Ms. Le Viet Nga, Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, under the direction of the Government and Prime Minister on economic development in especially difficult areas, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other ministries, agencies and localities have effectively implemented policies on developing difficult areas within their assigned scope. These policies have initially brought positive results in production, distribution and consumption in areas with many difficulties.

In particular, the program to develop trade in mountainous, remote and island areas for the period 2015-2020 was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 964/QD-TTg dated June 30, 2015 and the program for the period of 2021-2025 was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1162/QD-TTg dated July 13, 2021.

The program was implemented in 287 districts with difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in 48 provinces/cities across the country. This is a specific and extremely necessary program to build and develop a distribution system for goods and services, narrowing the gap in trade development between regions, contributing to promote socio-economic development, increase people's income, and ensure national security and defense in this area.

The conference "Connecting production and consumption of products in mountainous, remote and island areas" held on November 18 in Hai Phong is one of the activities of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to implement the 2023 Program with the goal to connect and support units producing and trading specialty products in mountainous areas, remote areas and islands.

This will be an opportunity for agencies, units, localities and the business community to discuss and share experiences on difficulties and obstacles in the practical production and consumption of commercial products of mountainous areas, remote areas and islands. Based on this, they will propose support solutions, incentive policies to promote production and consumption of products and goods that are advantages of mountainous and island areas, thereby contributing to effective implementation of the program to develop trade in mountainous, remote and island areas in the following years.

Hai Phong brings Vietnamese goods to rural, remote areas and islands

The Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade has paid special attention and mobilized businesses in the area to actively implement the program to bring Vietnamese goods to rural, remote areas and islands. The number of shipments made by businesses inside and outside the city to bring Vietnamese goods to rural, remote areas, and islands every year is over 4 trips/week on average.

The commercial infrastructure and production and business activities of the two island districts have received attention and have prospered, forming shopping business methods such as markets, grocery stores, and convenient stores. Over 10 businesses and production facilities in 02 island districts have been supported with equipment and machinery under the national and local industrial promotion project; Over 28 establishments and businesses were supported to attend the supply and demand connection conference, trade promotion conference, and exhibition fairs of provinces and cities nationwide...

In 2022 and the first 10 months of 2023, 6 Vietnamese goods markets were organized in the island districts with each market having 25 booths of over 30 participating businesses, attracting over 1,500 visitors, earning a revenue of 1.5 - 2.5 billion VND per market session; a point of sale model called "Proud of Vietnamese goods" was built in Cat Hai district.