Kien Giang Maintains High Growth: Aquaculture improved

Kien Giang Maintains High Growth: Aquaculture improved

Despite livestock losses and a fall in productivity of some cultivation areas due to drought and salinity problems, farmers in the southern province of Kien Giang managed a bumper crop in the first half of this year. As a result, the province's gross domestic product in agriculture saw an increase of 7.5 per cent. Three rice growing areas with a combined cropping area of more than 292,000 hectares provided a total output of 1.573 million tonnes, of which 767,000 tonnes came from high-quality rice. The province's average rice yield was put at 5.39 tonnes per hectare. The province has utilised more than 4,000 hectares of waste land in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, while mobilising capital and labour for developing household and farm economies. A growing aquaculture movement, especially industrial shrimp farming, has opened up great possibilities for economic restructuring. In the first half of this year, total fishing volume reached 144,000 tonnes. The usage area for aquaculture is estimated at 71,484 hectares, up by 16.84 per cent on year, of which 61,000 hectares are used for raising shrimps. Industrial shrimp farming is mainly concentrated in Kien Luong and Ha Tien with 950 hectares.

Investment promoted in tourism

Kien Giang, especially its famous Phu Quoc Island, is an attractive destination for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors. The province has increased investment in construction and upgraded many tourist attractions in Rach Gia and Ha Tien towns, Phu Quoc, Kien Luong and Anh Minh districts to meet the needs of visitors. So far, a project to develop the Hon Chem-Hang Pagoda is 50 per cent finished. Meanwhile, 75 per cent of the work on the Mui Nai tourist site has been completed. The building of two quays for the Rach Gia port is now complete. On Phu Quoc, three projects have been licensed and implemented on a total area of 70.65 hectares with a total investment capital of VND 212 billion (about US$14.012 million).Furthermore, the Provincial People's Committee has licensed 23 other projects on a total area of 618.8 hectares, while 58 others, mainly in tourism, are waiting for approval. The province has focused on promoting images of local tourist sites in the mass media. Currently, the province has 82 hotels and guest houses with 1,552 rooms, up by 30 hotels and guest houses and 627 rooms against the same period last year. In the first half of this year, Kien Giang province received 123,800 visitors, 20,814 of whom were foreigners. The province earned VND 62 billion (about US$3.949 million), 1.5 times the income of the previous year.

Great prospects for export processing

Kien Giang province earned a high export value in the first half of this year thanks to its high quality farm and seafood produce. Export turnover of farm produce was calculated at US$45.1 million, up 20.9 per cent while seafood exports saw an increase of 31.8 per cent. The province now has two more seafood processing lines with a total capacity of 800 tonnes per year, and one rice polishing plant with a capacity of 30,000 tonnes per year. Another plant is also being upgraded to increase its capacity to meet local and export demand. Products of local producers, such as condensed pineapple juice, tinned fruit, tinned fish and frozen seafood, have gradually found foothold in the domestic market. Some private enterprises have expanded their production. For example, the Hai Phat Dat Company has partnered with a Chinese company to invest in a processing line with a capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year and the Thanh Xuan enterprise has invested in producing Promix micro-organic fertiliser for upgrading ponds for shrimp raising and aquaculture development on the Ca Mau peninsula.

Apart from abundant farm-produce and seafood for the processing industry, Kien Giang province has other resources, including limestone and minerals for producing cement and other construction materials. Two cement plants, Ha Tien 2, Holcim (Sao Mai) and Kien Luong, have been built in the province. A cement grinding line with a capacity of six tonnes per hour has recently become operative. The Holcim Vietnam Cement Company saw a large increase of 18.4 per cent in BOC cement with an output of 866,730 tonnes.

Development orientations

In the future, Kien Giang province will multiply intensive production methods on its farms while planning areas for growing high quality rice for export. Also, the province will revise the use of its forestry land, identifying production areas, protected forests and forest areas where the usage will be changed, especially the Phu Quoc and Upper U Minh National Parks for tourism development. In the fisheries sector, the province will promote its investment in fishing infrastructure with the fishing ports of Xeo Nhao, Ba Hon and To Chau and the Lai Son market. At the same time, the province will finalise procedures and call for investment capital to build the Linh Huynh fishing port and the storm harbour of Hon Tre next year. Investment will also be made in the development of industrial shrimp farming areas for export and shrimp fry production. Kien Giang province will invest in building industrial parks in Rach Gia town, finalising procedures for industrial parks at Ha Tien, Tac Cau and Go Quao, and implement a project to build a rotation kiln clinker plant with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes per year. The province will also expand a packaging plant and build a tunnel brick factory.

• Thuy Tien