, 2000 the Government held its May 2000 regular meeting to discuss and resolve the following issues:1. It heard the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister�s draft project on promoting the consumption of agricultural commodities together with restructuring the agricultural economy for further development of agricultural production and increase of farmers� income. Over the past years, the agricultural production has witnessed encouraging results, basically meeting the food and foodstuff demand of people throughout the country, stabilizing national food security with the fast increase of the proportion of agricultural commodities and the firm position of a number of export agricultural products on the world market. However, the agricultural production is being confronted with big challenges, especially the product consumption. In order to basically overcome this situation, the situation on domestic and foreign markets must be assessed more accurately for restructuring the agricultural production in conformity with market demand, in order to ensure adequate supply for the domestic market while turning toward export and import substitution; to apply synchronous measures regarding technical and managerial matters, mechanism and policy in order to raise production efficiency and product quality, increase the proportion of goods items being processed agricultural products. The Government assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in gathering comments of Cabinet members, finalizing the Government�s project and draft Resolution on this issue to submit them to the Prime Minister for signing for promulgation.
2. It heard the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry�s project on development of software industry for the 2000-2005 period. The Government noted that software industry is one of hi-tech branches with great potential that needs to be given special attention for its development. The Government establishes legal framework and has preferential policies to encourage the training of human resources, investment, market expansion,... for the development of the software industry; at the same time, it creates conditions for enterprises of all economic sectors as well as individuals to participate in software production, thus creating a short-cut step in the process of national industrialization and modernization, contributing to ensuring the national security. The Government assigned the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment to assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in gathering comments of Cabinet members, finalizing the Government�s draft Resolution on the development of the software industry for the 2000-2005 period to submit it to the Government for consideration and early promulgation; finalizing the project on establishment and development of software industry for the 2000-2005 period to submit it to the Government for approval in the third quarter of 2000; drafting the Prime Minister�s decision on preferential policies aimed at establishing and developing the software industry to submit it to the Prime Minister for promulgation in June 2000.
3. It heard the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister�s 3 draft ordinances: The Ordinance on Storm and Flood Prevention and Combat (amended); the Ordinance on Exploitation and Protection of Irrigation Works (amended) and the Ordinance on Dykes (amended). The Government assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in finalizing these 3 draft ordinances to submit them to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision of further submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee.
4. It heard the Planning and Investment Minister�s reports on "socio-economic situation in May and the first 5 months of the year" and "situation of the implementation of the Enterprise Law in the first 5 months of 2000". Regarding the direction and administration of socio-economic development task from now till the year end, the Government requests the ministries, branches and localities to thoroughly apply demand-pull measures, step up production and business with attention being paid to the following issues:
- To concentrate efforts on the direction, implementation and removal of difficulties and problems, speeding up the construction tempo as well as capital disbursement for capital construction projects, especially projects of which the construction must start and complete in 2000 and early 2001.
- To concentrate efforts on the settlement of difficulties in product consumption, especially agricultural products, to establish the long-term contractual mechanism between exporting and processing enterprises and agricultural producers.
- To step up the implementation of the Enterprise Law, continue to cancel permits which have hindered production and business, and strictly abide by the regulations on business registration; promptly announce and guide business conditions for a number of branches and trades after cancellation of business permits.
- To right administrative discipline, seriously follow the Government�s guidelines, policies and management; renew and consolidate the inspection and control work, especially specialized inspection and control.- (Summary)