LookAtVietnam – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked Can Tho City to take urgent measures to realize the set target of achieving a growth rate of over 16 percent in 2009.

He asked municipal authorities to focus on industrial and agricultural production, especially the upcoming summer-autumn crop, while implementing the Government’s demand stimulus measures and ensuring the social welfare of local people.

Can Tho City should assist local businesses in the breeding, processing and consumption of tra and basa catfish and develop the product into a key export item, he said.

The PM stressed on the need to boost infrastructure development, improve the irrigation network, protect the environment and stamp out epidemics affecting animals and poultry.

He went on to say that in the current context of global economic slowdown, municipal authorities should continue to promote administrative reform, disburse budget funds in 2009 (around VND4,000 billion) and speed up the implementation of key transport, irrigation and urban infrastructure projects.

On the occasion, PM Dung also provided instructions and agreed to allocate capital investment sourced from Government bonds to implement key transport and urban construction projects.

During the meeting, Chairman of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee, Tran Thanh Man, said that by March 15, 2009, 30 out of 36 local banks had granted loans for nearly 4,000 people worth more than VND3,800 billion in total. The city exempted tax worth over VND430 billion and allocated VND40 billion to develop aquaculture breeding and rural craft villages in 2009, he added.

VietNamNet/VOV