HANOI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Laos will try to keep inflation at six percent in 2008, up from 4.5 percent in 2007, according to Lao newspaper Vientiane Times on Thursday.

    The Lao government is continuing to apply measures to manage inflation by promoting investment and encouraging increased domestic productivity. Cross-ministry cooperation has increased in an effort to control the price of both domestic and imported products.

    Despite the increase in the inflation rate, it will be still lower than Laos' expected economic growth of 7.5 percent this year, and also lower than inflation rates in neighboring countries.

    The consumer price index issued by the Statistics Department of the country's Ministry of Planning and Investment indicated the price of food in March rose by two percent over February, the newspaper said.