Ben Tre Industry Places Processing as Major Focal Point
2004 was a ‘year of industry’ for Ben Tre province. The industry has helped improve the proportion of local economic sectors in the cause of industrialization.
Ben Tre industry set off from a very low starting point due to the high proportion of agriculture in GDP that dominates the province’s economy. This is the reason why the local authorities have decided to develop industry with a view to changing its economic structure. This is seen evidently with the establishment of a series of industrial parks (IPs) and complexes in 2004, typically the Giao Long IP which has been recognized by the Government to be included in the list of national IPs. The province also built the Ba Lai seafood processing plant last year and is calling for the outsiders to invest in dried anchovy processing plant and hundreds of industrial and small industrial establishments, raising total production value to around VND1.778 trillion and providing 39,000 jobs. The industrial growth also increased by 17.72 percent over 2003, which added to lift up its proportion in GDP remarkably.
Ben Tre’s industrial scale is just a little smaller than those of Long An, Can Tho and Tien Giang provinces within the Mekong Delta. Its advantages on material sources and labor have yet been fully taken. The authorities have been looking forward to the completion of the
Economic experts advised that the province’s industry must be developed on local potentials and advantages such as aqua material zones, fruit and coconut, avoiding scattered investment. Processing industry should be prioritized. On the other hand, the local abundant labour source is suitable to developing garment and footwear production, and electronic assembly. The province will also form and strengthen traditional craft villages with high quality, special products, and offer an appealing business environment to the investors.
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