A customer examines the content and usage information of a milk product in District 3. (File photo)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked three relevant ministries to report on surging domestic milk prices by the end of this month, according to the Government Office.

The note blamed the exorbitant prices on lax regulations that don’t have enough power to prevent domestic milk companies from using unfair marketing methods, many of which are banned in foreign countries, to push local milk prices.

The ministries of Industry and Trade, Finance and Health will have to issue the reports.

On the same day, Ho Tat Thang, vice chairman of the Vietnam Standard and Consumers Association, quoted a Ministry of Finance document sent to the association as saying the ministry expected to increase the import tariff on some milk products.

The expected milk import tariff increase will not impact the domestic milk market as the global price of raw milk materials has dropped from US$5,700 per ton to $1,800-2,200, Thang quoted the ministry as saying.

However, the ministry should not increase the import tariff, Thang said, explaining that milk companies use the tariff increase to push milk prices up.

Reported by Nam Son