In 2013, with the close guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Provincial People’s Committee, together with enormous efforts from the business community, the industry and trade sector of Long An province surmounted grave challenges to achieve positive results and generate growth momentum for 2014 and subsequent years. Industrial and commercial production had good growth, the domestic market was stable, inflation was put under control, agricultural consumption was boosted and market control was intensified.
As a gateway for Mekong Delta provinces to Ho Chi Minh City, Long An province is blessed with favourable conditions for industrial development. In recent years, the high industrial growth has made an important contribution to economic restructuring. Particularly in 2013, the province’s GDP growth was 11 per cent. The industrial production value was VND3,1481.7 billion, equal to 104.1 per cent of the full-year plan and up 16.1 per cent over 2012. Industrial production index increased 14 per cent.
Economic slowdown has caused many businesses to scale back operations or even go bust. Against this backdrop, the Department of Industry and Trade hosted many surveys to learn about enterprises’ operations and advised the Provincial People’s Committee to direct relevant agencies and localities to remove difficulties and obstacles against businesses in order to help them to have stable production and development. At the same time, the sector coordinates with other authorities to review and evaluate business branches in the province to encourage them to register for business establishment.
The Department of Industry and Trade also increased support for enterprises to purchase and stockpile rice in the 2012 – 2013 winter – spring crop in and the 2013 summer – autumn crop. Enterprises purchased a total of 178,000 tonnes of rice for temporary stockpile aimed to sell at higher prices, more than the plan. To date, 18 domestic enterprises and two foreign-owned firms in Long An province are eligible for rice export. In the year to end-November 2013, food firms in the province purchased 1.82 million tonnes of rice and exported 704,237 tonnes of rice.
The Department of Industry and Trade has actively reviewed infrastructure investment projects in small-scale industrial clusters to accelerate the pace and urge investors to sort the order of investment priorities to put them into operation soon. The department has resolutely proposed that the Provincial People’s Committee remove failed projects. It has also strictly rectified the administration and operation of industrial clusters to enhance efficiency based on the Prime Minister’s Directive 07/CT-TTg dated March 2, 2012, and overseen the management and operation of industrial clusters in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision 105/2009/QD-TTg dated August 19, 2009. At the same time, the department has urged investors to complete their waste treatment systems to protect and improve environmental quality.
To accelerate economic development and to create a solid premise for Long An to become a basically industrial province by 2020, Long An province will call for investment capital industrial – commercial zone infrastructure development in 2014 and beyond, especially in existing industrial zones, Long An Border Gate Economic Zone, Binh Hiep International Border Gate, market systems, supermarkets and convenience stores. The province will deepen cooperation with other Mekong Delta provinces and the southern key economic zone, especially Ho Chi Minh City, to develop goods production and consumption chain links, encourage enterprises to use goods from each other in order to support domestic production and reduce the trade deficit. Long An will also create favourable conditions to support enterprises to remove difficulties, renovate equipment and technology, and approach new scientific and technical applications. It will step up administrative procedure reform to form a liberal, friendly business environment for enterprises to bring their capacities and competences into full play.
Hong Anh
Đăng ký: VietNam News