Soc Trang province has attached much importance to building and developing industrial zones to enhance its attractiveness to investors. Mr Lam Hung Kien, Director of Soc Trang Industrial Zones Management Board, gives an exclusive interview to Vietnam Business Forum on achieved results and industrial zone development orientations of Soc Trang province. Han Luong reports.Would you be kind enough to introduce notable achievements in investment attraction of local industrial zones so far?
According to the Prime Minister’s decision, Soc Trang province will have six industrial parks by 2015, with a vision to 2020, namely An Nghiep, Tran De, Dai Ngai, My Thanh, Vinh Chau and Long Hung. An Nghiep Industrial Park had 38 tenants with 45 projects with a combined registered capital of VND3,241 billion, leasing 140.9 ha of rentable land, or 86.45 per cent of commercial area. Tenants are expected to employ 23,834 workers. Of the sum, 18 enterprises are in operation, seven are underway, and 13 are completing investment procedures. In 2013, the industrial production value of the industrial park reached VND1,645 billion, up 20.8 per cent over 2012 and equal to 19.91 per cent of the province’s aggregate industrial production value. Its export value grossed US$176 million, accounting 34.3 per cent of the province’s export value). Besides economic contribution, An Nghiep Industrial Park also has an active social role like creating jobs for thousands of workers and quickening labour restructuring.
How has local industrial zones made the most of local advantages to attract investors?
Based on the advantages of raw materials, labour and transportation network, to speed up investment promotion, the Soc Trang Industrial Zones Management Board asks the Provincial People’s Committee to issue and apply consistent investment support and encouragement policies on projects in local industrial parks. The board also accelerates administrative reform, improves the investment climate and fully implements land, tax and training incentives. Investors are also provided information about domestic and international markets, assisted to take part in trade fairs and exhibitions, as well as funded worker training fees.
With sound policies, industrial zones in the province have achieved positive results in investment attraction. More and more investors contact the Management Board to learn more about investment in the province.
Currently, some investors fail to keep up with their investment progress as promised and this is a burning issue for any locality. How have Soc Trang province-based industrial zones dealt with slow-moving projects?
Enforcing the Prime Minister’s Directive 07/CT-TTG dated March 2, 2012 and the Provincial People’s Committee’s directions to slow-moving, delayed and inactive projects in industrial parks, the Management Board contacted with all investors with sluggish and inactive projects. The board revoked land certificates from five projects in 2013 and two projects in the first four months of 2014, with a total reclaimed area of 24 ha. The board is now reviewing investment projects to identify incapable ones to revoke land leased for other investors.
Soc Trang province targets to become a middle-income province in Mekong Delta in 2020. So, how has the province quickened the development of industrial zones?
Developing and building industrial zones is a particularly important factor for the province to realise this objective. Hence, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee attach much importance to planning and developing industrial zones and attracting investment capital from all economic sectors for this purpose.
In the coming time, the Management Board will advise the Provincial People’s Committee to attract industrial zone infrastructure developers and operators and ask the central government to issue support policies for building technical infrastructure outside industrial zones and developing services and subcontracting industries to support production and business activities of investors inside industrial zones.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
