“Agricultural development is the foundation; aquaculture is a spearhead economic sector; breakthrough industrial development is a driving force for quick and sustainable economic development towards the process of industrialisation and modernisation,” said Mr Tran Thanh Nghiep, Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People’s Committee, in an interview granted to Vietnam Business Forum. Ha Linh reports.
Could you please introduce the socioeconomic development results that Soc Trang achieved in the first six months of 2012?
The province laid out and carried out its socioeconomic development plans in 2012 when global economies were on the way to recovery, but full of uncertainties, the domestic macroeconomic situation was not really stable and potentially risky, local businesses were weighed down by exorbitant lending rates and rising input costs, and diseases considerably shrank shrimp output. But, with the constant efforts of all economic sectors, authorities, business communities and citizens, the province still managed to attain positive socioeconomic results in the first six months of 2012.
Economic growth reached 8.88 percent (up from 6.8 percent in the same period of 2011). Rice output exceeded 1 million tonnes (up 5 percent from a year earlier). Aquatic output was 30,416 tonnes, up 8.4 percent. Despite hardships, industrial production value still reached VND3.000 billion, up 0.6 percent year on year. However, exports decreased by 7.1 percent from the same period in 2011 to US$74.3 million. Consumer price index (CPI) climbed only 1.27 percent, the lowest six-month growth in many years. The circulation of goods and services sold expanded 26 percent, of which total retail revenues increased 23 percent.
Besides, social and cultural fields made progress. The province successfully organised high school graduation examination in 2012, with 98.52 percent of candidates successful. Human diseases were controlled. Social security policies continued to be effectively implemented. Political security and social order were maintained.
What are Soc Trang province’s advantages over other Mekong Delta provinces?
Located in the Mekong Delta, Soc Trang is blessed with characteristic strengths and potentials like rice, fruit, eco-tourism and especially seafood.
In addition to advantages common to the whole region, Soc Trang has unique advantages: Situated in the downstream of the Hau River, in the middle of coastline in the Mekong Delta region, serving as the main gateway to the Mekong Delta, linked to National Road 1A, National Road 60, Quan Lo - Phung Hiep National Road, and Nam Song Hau National Road, connected to international shipping routes via the Hau River gate to Can Tho Port, and interlinked with other localities. These factors facilitate trade and promote economic and social development.
Soc Trang has a 72-km long coastline, with two large estuaries of Hau River and My Thanh River. It has densely intertwined rivers and canals and is blessed with abundant resources of aquatic species. Thus, the province is endowed with favourable conditions for aquaculture and aquatic processing. In particular, Soc Trang has potential and advantages for seaport development, coastal industrial development, and fishing logistics development.
The province has over 26,000 ha of orchards in communes along the Hau River; over 15,000 ha of vegetables, 4,500 ha of purple onion with an annual output of 90,000 tonnes - a key export. Soc Trang province has abundant human resources. About 760,000 people are at working age, representing 60 percent of the province's population.
With such huge marine potential, do you think Soc Trang province should build a seaport to prop up economic development?
Soc Trang has a 72 km long coastline (2.21 percent of the country’s coastline) with three large estuaries, namely Dinh An, Tran De (Hau River) and My Thanh (My Thanh River), full of potential for marine economic development, especially aquaculture, shipping and marine tourism.
According to the Mekong Delta transport development plan till 2020, with a vision towards 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in early 2012 (Decision 11/2012/QD-TTg dated February 10, 2012), the central government will consider building seaports for large vessels and Soc Trang is a preferable destination.
Moreover, while contributing ideas to Soc Trang socioeconomic development master plan in 2020, the Ministry of Planning and Investment assessed that “Soc Trang has an important geographical position, serving as the gateway to the sea for the Mekong Delta” and “Soc Trang is blessed with potentials and advantages for developing seaports.”
Without doubt, geographical location generates marine economic development advantages for the province and makes it the open mouth of the Mekong Delta. Therefore, in my opinion, seaport construction in Soc Trang province for economic development is completely feasible.
What policies and solutions will Soc Trang province adopt to promote social and economic development?
In the coming time, the province defines that “Agricultural development is the foundation; aquaculture is a spearhead economic sector; breakthrough industrial development is a driving force for quick and sustainable economic development towards industrialisation and modernisation.
Agricultural and aquaculture development will go in depth. It will maintain its leading position in the Mekong Delta in rice and aquatic production and export. The province will create favourable conditions for industrial development investment to tap local advantages like processing agricultural and aquatic products and manufacturing consumer goods and exports. It will mobilise investment capital to develop industrial zones with synchronous infrastructure. It will also focus on sea-borne economic development, especially on such industries as fish farming, seaport services, maritime transport, fishing logistics, and marine tourism. It will take the marine economy as the driving force for economic development.
To achieve development objectives, Soc Trang province is estimated to need VND216,000 billion from now 2020. In addition to State-funded investment capital, the locality will mobilise all domestic and foreign resources for socioeconomic development. It will review and supplement mechanisms and policies to enhance the attractiveness of the investment and business environment, issue preferential investment policies for priority fields, organise investment promotion activities together with other Mekong Delta provinces to attract more investors. It will offer extra incentives for larger-scaled projects using advanced, clean and environment-friendly technologies.
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