Dong Thap urged to develop rice production, aquaculture; Vietnam has priority policies for ethnic minority people; French region to invest in Dong Nai’s agricultural sector; PM calls on Long An to foster sustainable development

The southern province of Dong Thap should make the best of its potential available to develop the processing and high-tech industries to raise the quality and productivity of farm products, especially rice and Tra catfish, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

At a working session with provincial authorities on March 17, Mr Dung praised Dong Thap’s efforts to achieve a GDP growth rate of 15.56 percent last year, the highest in the Mekong River Delta.

He said the province has effectively implemented the Government’s measures to prevent an economic slowdown and ensure social welfare. Commercial banks have lent subsidised loans to more than 8,000 clients, guaranteed 55 businesses to access loans and extended the payment deadlines for the corporate income tax and value added tax for 3,400 businesses.

The PM asked Dong Thap to work closely with the relevant ministries, agencies and the Northern and Southern Food Corporations to develop the network of cooking storage depots in the province.

He directed the province to disburse more than VND3,000 billion worth of investment capital, with a focus on raising the quality of projects and preventing negative effects.

Mr Dung suggested that the province continue to effectively implement the Government’s social welfare policies, especially in the areas of education, health care and employment.

“Each district should have a vocational training from now until 2010 to help ensure social welfare in the whole province,” said Mr Dung.

He acknowledged the province’s proposals concerning the development of rural roads and irrigation projects and building of the rural industrial model and the network of frozen seafood warehouses.

The same day, he offered incense at the Nguyen Sinh Sac Memorial to commemorate the late President Ho Chi Minh’s father. He also visited the Dinh Ba international bordergate and several economic establishments in the province.

Vietnam has priority policies for ethnic minority people

The Party and State have clear-cut policies for ethnic communities and any ministry or locality failing to implement them well must be seriously self-critical, said State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

While meeting with the Ethnicity Committee on March 17, the president highlighted its achievements in the implementation of policies for ethnic minority people, as well as in the preservation of patriotism among them.

Mr Triet stressed that national unity should be further strengthened at grassroots level to make ethnic people better understand the state laws and policies. Local associations must have ‘closer’ contacts with them to understand their thinking and action and focus on poverty alleviation and infrastructure construction.

The Ethnicity Committee reported that the State invested more than VND85 trillion in building and upgrading infrastructure in mountainous provinces from 2001-2008. More than 369,000 poor ethnic households received financial support for housing and 63,000 others were provided with land to build houses.

French region to invest in Dong Nai’s agricultural sector

The French region of Bretagne wants to cooperate with Vietnam in breeding and processing livestock, said its president Jean Yves Le Drian.

He told Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai at a meeting in Hanoi on March 17, that France’s Glon Group is focusing on a project to build an Agro-park in the southern province of Dong Nai. It will start with installation of modern production lines to help raise, slaughter and process cattle and poultry within the park, the first of its kind in Vietnam.

With its state-of-the-art technologies and previous experience in using the model “from farm to dining table”, the Bretagne region believes it can efficiently and successfully replicate the model in Vietnamese localities, said Le Drian.

Deputy PM Hai welcomed the cooperation between the Bretagne region and Dong Nai province, saying that the success of the project will benefit both parties.

He confirmed that the Vietnamese Government will direct the relevant ministries and agencies to create the best possible conditions for the project to be completed on time.

Bretagne is France’s largest agricultural region and one of the leading European processors of food and foodstuffs, mainly pigs and poultry.

PM calls on Long An to foster sustainable development

The southern province of Long An should review its industrial development plan to ensure its environment is protected, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at a working session with provincial authorities on March 16.

It is essential to examine its 16 industrial zones for long-term development, said Mr Dung.

He asked Long An to work closely with relevant ministries and agencies to solve problems relating to industrial development, the purchase of rice from farmers, infrastructure construction, safe water supply, healthcare services, education and human resources development.

The Government will create favourable conditions for Long An to implement these projects, said Mr Dung.

He urged the province to work with the Southern Food Corporation to purchase farmers’ rice to ensure farmers will earn a profit of at least 30 percent.

“Success in agriculture not only creates income for farmers but also stimulates agricultural development,” said the PM.

Regarding the implementation of infrastructure construction projects, the PM asked Long An to speed up the implementation of projects using capital from the State budget and government bond sales, with a particular focus on healthcare and education projects.

Mr Dung made an inspection tour of the Saigon-Trung Luong express railway project, a rice purchasing centre in Thach Hoa district and the Nam Sao fertilizer company in the province.

Despite economic difficulties last year, Long An achieved a GDP growth rate of 14.5 percent while industrial production increased by 30.3 percent and exports by 30.2 percent.

VietNamNet/VOV