Entering 2014, amid many difficulties and challenges, central and local government departments are carefully setting goals for socio-economic development. But in the mountainous province of Thai Nguyen, they are quite confident in setting the goals: economic growth of 15 percent, industrial production value increased by 55 percent, and exports reaching US$1 billion – increased 5.8 times compared with 2013. What is the reason for the confidence of the provincial authority in targeting those figures and what will they do to implement the goals of socio-economic development in 2014? To learn about this issue, Vietnam Business Forum interviewed Mr Duong Ngoc Long, Chairman of Thai Nguyen People’s Committee. Ngo San – Tien Dat report.
2013 coming to an end is a time when we can recognize our efforts during the past year. How do you assess the situation of socio-economic development of Thai Nguyen province in the past year?
We all know that in 2013, Vietnam’s economy faced many difficulties, the absorption capacity and the ability to access capital has been very limited, the recovery was slow and inventories were at high levels. Facing these difficulties, Thai Nguyen authorities have strengthened inspection, grasped the situation to remove difficulties as well as implement solutions to support businesses. The province has focused on accelerating the implementation of key projects; control the prices of goods and services; enabling enterprises to access capital and boosting administrative reforms to attract investment; implementing better disease prevention and ensuring security and social order and safety.
With the active, creative and timely implementation of solutions to remove difficulties and to boost growth, in 2013, Thai Nguyen’s socio-economic development achieved encouraging results. Economic growth has not yet achieved its objectives, but it was at a reasonable rate of 6.7 percent/ year, higher than the national average growth, in which, industrial production value reached VND30.880 billion, up 5.7 percent compared with 2012. The value of agricultural, forestry and fisheries productions increased by 6 percent compared to 2012. Export value of the province was estimated at US$ 173 million, an increase of 26.4 percent compared to 2012. The total state budget revenue in the area was estimated at VND3,826 billion, up 8 percent from 2012. The total investment in the province reached VND24.5 trillion, an increase of 85 percent over 2012.
Along with the economic development, cultural and social fields also achieved success. In particular, following the success of the 2011 Tea Festival, the 2nd Thai Nguyen-Vietnam Tea Festival, held from 9-11 November 2013, created favourable conditions for continuing to improve tea quality; promote expansion and connection between manufacturers, businesses and consumers; and preserve and promote the tangible and intangible values of Thai Nguyen tea.
Overall, in 2013, Thai Nguyen has achieved comprehensive and solid development, creating momentum for devising and implementing better goals in 2014.
What are Thai Nguyen’s development goals in 2014, and how will the province implement those plans?
The “scenario” of Thai Nguyen’s socio-economic development in 2014 was discussed carefully to select the most feasible options. Entering 2014, Thai Nguyen proposed the overall development objectives: improve the quality of growth, ensuring sustainable development associated with economic restructuring; continue to improve competitiveness, foreign affairs and attract investment, promote new advantages to solve difficulties for business, mobilize resources to promote the development of high technology to create breakthrough in industrial restructuring; maintain stable growth rate in the agricultural sector, ensure social security, improve people’s lives and strengthen national defence, political security and social order and safety. The province has concretized those plans into development indicators such as economic growth of 15 percent (industry 24 percent, service 10 percent, and agriculture 4.5 percent), the value of industrial production – handicraft increased by 55 percent; export turnover reached US$ 1 billion and the average production value of 35 million VND/person/year.
To successfully implement these goals, Thai Nguyen will stick to the theme of 2014: Continue to maximize resources, accelerate economic restructuring, implement key projects and programs; pay attention to developing technology, supporting industries, build new rural areas and ensure security and social order and safety. At the same time, the province synchronously implemented some solutions such as regularly evaluating business situations of enterprises, promptly removing difficulties and problems of business; continuing to support land clearance in Yen Binh Industrial Park and Diem Thuy Industrial Park to create fresh land to attract ancillary projects to serve high-tech complex of Samsung and other investment projects; creating conditions for the development of production facilities and industrial business to ensure compliance with plans; concentrating production and boost exports, especially commodities with high added value; and implementing the project of restructuring the agricultural sector towards improving the added value and sustainable development.
Thai Nguyen is confident of successfully implementing those goals, because we believe that the world economy in 2014, despite many risk factors, will recover quickly. Economic growth is forecast higher than 2013. As for Vietnam, foreign investment is expected to be more positive. The recovery of the domestic economy will be clearer due to the positive impact of the policy to remove difficulties for business in 2013.
Although Vietnam’s economic growth in 2014 is likely to recover, it will be unsustainable if the structural instability of the economy is not solved, including the risk of high inflation, natural disasters, floods and epidemics which may affect socio-economic development.
For Thai Nguyen province, stable socio-economic development and positive investment in 2013, particularly the Samsung complex project along with other supporting projects to be completed in early 2014, will have positive effectiveness in increasing the pace of production value, exports and imports, employment, economic growth, and attract domestic and foreign investment to Thai Nguyen province in 2014.
Đăng ký: VietNam News