Export rocketing

The provincial People’s Committee chairman Le Thanh Cung said that positive results of economy in the first quarter were thanks to the whole of the Party committee, authority, business community and economic sector’s efforts. Accordingly, the provincial authority launched seriously and drastically the Government’s Resolution No.01/NQ-CP dated Jan.2, 2014 on crucial measures of steering and managing plans on socio-economic development and the state budget estimate in 2014.

At the congress, the provincial department of Trade and Industry director Vo Van Cu said that thanks to positive changes of the world economy, the local industrial production value in the first quarter of this year reached more than VND44,600bil, a 12.3% increase. Items namely woodwork, footwear, apparel still maintained their steady export.

One of advantages for enterprises’ business operation in the first quarter was that inflation was under control, market price was steady, interest rate was adjusted and investment environment was improved significantly. Cu added that most of the price of export items increased strongly while companies’ traditional markets such as the US, ASEAN, Japan were recovered and rose fairly, especially new markets such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand gained an impressive increase.

Until now, most of businesses have export contracts lasting till the second, third and even fourth quarters. “Export turnover in the first quarter reached more than US$3bil, a 12.7% increase. This is the highest increase level in the first quarter since 2009”, Cu said.

Finding measures to improve competitiveness index

The 16th provincial party committee’s executive committee congress spent much time for explaining reasons breeding a decline of the provincial competitive index (PCI) in 2013. Mai Hung Dung, director of the provincial department of Planning and Investment explained that aside from objective reasons from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) including change of assessment and index and so on, most of the main causes were from subjective elements such as stagnancy of renovation of process and administration procedures.

Regarding the PCI, the provincial People’s Council vice chairwoman Tran Thi Kim Van reported inspection results relating to two of third declined indexes including market penetration cost and transparency and administration reform. Mrs. Van said that the local administration implemented one-door policy in the provincial and district level in 2004, in the commune level in 2005 and perfected and added the connected one-door policy in 2008. Pursuant to the connected one-door policy, public listing of administration procedures, papers, fees and time of resettlement and so on is a compulsory requirement and responsibility of People’s Committee chairmen of the district and commune levels and heads of departments, agencies and sectors. In the mid-2009, the provincial People’s Committee announced one set of the provincial, district and communal administration procedure. And, in 2012, the provincial People’s Committee delivered a document to instruct public listing of administration procedures.

Overall, regulations, instructions and guidances of the provincial People’s Committee are very obvious and adequate. Departments, agencies and localities make the effort in publicizing administration procedures. However, there are still shortcomings of public listing at 3 levels.

At the congress, participants suggested many solutions to improve the PCI in the coming time. Apart from renovating business registration, Mai Hung Dung, director of the provincial department of Planning and Investment asked relevant units such as the provincial departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Information and Communications, etc to shrink time of granting land using right certificates as well as to facilitate businesses’ convenient and quick approach of information.

Reported by T.Dung – Translated by A.C