Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung paid a working visit to Kon Tum province on January 18 as part of his tour of the Central Highland region.

The PM asked Kon Tum to create a zoning plan to exploit its advantages and fully tap its potential to boost socio-economic development while improving living conditions for ethnic minority people.

The province should remove difficulties and provide assistance for farmers to help them maintain industrial and agricultural production, he said.

Mr Dung requested that local authorities focus on protecting forest, disbursing investment in an effective manner, and properly implementing the Party and State’s local policies on religion.

The PM also pledged to create favourable conditions to help Kon Tum build National Highway No.24, develop tourism and promote the consumption of farm products.

He visited Dak Long - one of the nine poorest communes of Konplong district - and presented gifts to local people for the upcoming lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

Earlier on January 17, PM Dung paid a pre-Tet visit to the central highland province of Gia Lai. He asked the province to effectively implement the Party and State’s religious policies and provide financial assistance and land for its local people to help them develop production and secure a stable life.

He stressed the need for Gia Lai to review its planning of protective and specialised forests to protect its eco-system and assess the efficiency of forests for commercial use and replace low-profit forests by rubber trees.

He urged the local authorities to remove obstacles for businesses while stepping up the disbursement of investment capital for infrastructure development projects.

Over the past three years, Gia Lai posted an average GDP growth rate of 13.1 percent and an industrial production value growth of 26.3 percent. Its poor households reduced by 3 percent a year. In 2008 alone, the province achieved a GDP growth of 12.5 percent despite economic difficulties.

Meanwhile, State President Nguyen Minh Triet visited the central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen on January 17, extending his happy New Year greetings to local people.

In Khanh Hoa, President Triet asked the province to maintain last year’s achievements and try its utmost for socio-economic development in 2009.

This year, Khanh Hoa aims for a GDP increase of 12 percent and a VND5,500 billion contribution to the provincial budget.

President Triet said Khanh Hoa should make more efforts to overcome difficulties and attain achievements in the fields of socio-economics, security and national defence.

In the neighbouring province of Phu Yen, the State President praised its GDP growth of 12.3 percent in 2008 and its target of 13.5 percent this year.

He urged the province to deal with difficulties in a steady manner and pay more attention to ensuring social welfare.

(Source: VOV)