VINACHEM

Fuel, power and material prices have been on upward trend this month because of goods management policies, according to the Domestic Market Management Agency.

In addition, drought and salt intrusion has increased production costs of some farm produce, which might affect goods prices in the upcoming time.

The agency has proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to keep a close eye on the drought and salt intrusion in the southern region, estimate their influences to agricultural output and supply and have suitable management measures.

It also proposed to extend the deadline to replace gasoline Ron 92 with ethanol gasoline E5 to stabilize the market.

The total retailed revenue of goods and services reached VND859,560 billion (US$38.56 billion) in the first quarter this year, up 9.07 percent over the same period last year.