Imports of consumer goods rise

A woman chooses dairy products at Tan Tai Nguyen store in HCM City. Viet Nam imported $580 million worth of consumer goods in January, of which food, among other goods, accounted for a large part.

Imports of consumer goods totalled US$580 million in January and accounted for 7.3 per cent of the country’s total import value, according to the General Department of Customs.

Imports of automobiles, mobile phones, electric facilities and food accounted for more than 51 per cent of the total import value of consumer goods in January.

Imports of poultry eggs, animal fat and vegetable oil have raised new concerns because Viet Nam has seldom imported these products previously as they were produced locally, according to an official from the Ministry of Finance.

Last year, the country imported $530 million of milk, poultry eggs and products made from milk and meat.

Of the four countries that lead in exporting consumer goods to Viet Nam, China tops the list, followed by Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea.

Last year, Viet Nam imported $1.85 billion of consumer goods from China.

The import value of consumer goods from China has risen 54 per cent over a three-year period.

Consumer goods imported from China are mostly mobile phones, compact discs and DVDs, electrical household appliances, flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Last year, Viet Nam imported $82 million of fruit and $69 million of vegetables from China.

In a recent report to the Government, the Custom General Department has asked the Government to improve inspections of safety and hygiene of imported agricultural products and garments, and to strictly control goods smuggling in the northern border provinces.

(Source: VNS)