Ministers on CPI

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-06-2008 17:23

The recent price hike for consumer products is a major concern of ordinary Chinese. In Premier Wen Jiabao's work report delivered to the NPC on Wednesday, how to maintain a stable CPI level was highlighted as one of the major aspects in government efforts to guarantee people's basic interests. Many ministers and provincial governors at the NPC session have outlined their measures.

Minister of Commerce Chen Demin said, "The foremost task for our ministry is to strengthen monitoring of the domestic market."

Minister of Commerce Chen Demin said, "The foremost task for our ministry is to strengthen monitoring of the domestic market. The ministry's network and database covers 20,600 supermarkets all across the country. Key information like the product prices, sales volumes and supplies can be collected in the quickest time and reflected to the central government in a timely manner. In addition, we make sure that we maintain adequate market reserve of consumer products essential to people's daily needs, such as grain, cooking oil, meat and poultry. The reserve mechanism involves the central government, provincial governments and city governments. When supplies of certain products are tight, the three-level mechanism will play its role."

Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju said, "The central government's budget will increase economic assistance to improve the life of those with low incomes. Local governments will also do the same. Authorities will also address specific problems case by case."

Minister of Agriculture Sun Zhengcai said, "Domestic grain production is crucial to the country's food security. This is our most important guiding principle. But this doesn't mean that we should ignore the complementary role of international trade. Provincial governors and mayors should take full responsibility in maintaining the local food security. We should also constantly enhance and perfect the central government's favorable policies in increasing the enthusiasm of farmers. And we should bring into full play the role of science and public service system in agricultural production. Last but not the least, we should look forward and constantly strengthen our agricultural infrastructure."

Governor of Hunan province Zhou Qiang said, "To maintain the steady supply of meat products, Hunan province has allocated more than 20 million yuan to subsidize the losses of major pig farms. We also try to make sure the central government's subsidy policies on husbandry are properly implemented. In short, we're encouraging the enthusiasm of pig farmers to maintain an adequate supply in the market."

Editor:Zhang Ning