In his report at the 10th session of the 8th provincial People’s Council, provincial People’s Committee Vice-Chairman Tran Van Nam said that despite difficulties in 2013, the province’s socio-economic performance still continued achieving a stable growth with many targets on socio-economic development reaching and exceeding the set plans. 

The province’s export activities continue reaching growth. In picture: Merchandise exchange at IDC Song Than

GDP up 12.8%

Provincial People’s Committee Vice-Chairman Tran Van Nam said that the province’s considerable achievements in terms of socio-economic development, national defence-security in 2013 came from the integral efforts by the local authorities at all levels and people. Provincial People’s Committee effectively implemented the Government’s measure groups to curb inflation, remove difficulties to boost up production and business, ensure social welfare. Thanks to this, the province’s industrial manufacture, services, agriculture and export maintained a relatively stable growth.

One of the province’s bright spots in economic development in 2013 was FDI attraction. As of mid November 2013, the province absorbed US$1.32bln in investment attraction. The province has so far lured 2,209 FDI projects with a total investment capital of US$18.72bln. In 2013, province-based enterprises saw a positive change in production and business with the average growth of 8.7%.

Also in 2013, the province’s production value in agriculture, forestry and fisheries achieved more than VND3trillion, up 3.7%. Total retail sales value of commodities and services was estimated at more than VND89.54trillion, up 24.3% compared to the corresponding period. Export turnover was estimated at more than US$14.44trillion, up 15.7%...

Social welfare ensured

According to Mr.Nam, along with effectively taking measures for socio-economic development, the province has regularly paid more attention to ensuring social welfare. The province has also mobilized all sources to take care of the local people’s lives; well taken measures on poverty reduction and employment creation.

In 2013, the province mobilized around VND635bln, including VND479bln from State budget, to take care of the local poor people and those who rendered their services to the nation; effectively took measures on poverty reduction. It is expected that as of year-end, the ratio of the local poor households is only 0.79%. So far, the province has also implemented its new poverty line in the 2014 and 2015 period.

The province also organized 28 job transaction sessions, absorbing nearly 1,200 enterprises and 37,800 turns of laborers; created new jobs for more than 46,000 laborers and paid unemployment benefits of VND365bln for 46,987 beneficiaries. So far, nearly 300 clients have also got consultancy on the housing loan-supporting program, thereby helping 27 cases get VND5.9bln in loan. In 2013, the province also continued paying attention to many fields on health, technology-science, education…

Striving to get growth higher than 2013

In 2014, provincial People’s Committee will focus on stabilizing economy, curbing inflation, removing difficulties in production & business and strive to reach GDP growth that is higher than 2013. The province will further make socio-economic infrastructure investment in a synchronous way; bend on urban and services development in accordance with a civilized and modern trend; effectively realize the Government’s policies on investment restructure; tighten control over environment and national resources; ensure social welfare, improve people’s lives, reform administrative procedures, and maintain national defence-security.

To achieve the above targets, according to Mr.Nam, the province will continue selectively make investment; brace up the application of  energy-saving technologies in production; increase the localization ratio, improve value added value (VAT), products’ competitiveness; promote export activities for high VAT products, increase processed products and hi-tech ones; restrict the import of consumer goods and backward machines, give priority to importing materials, advanced equipment and technologies towards sustainable industrial development.

The province will also continue forwarding meetings with industries’ associations to remove difficulties in production and business; promote services in terms of banking, insurance, logistics, health, education, tourism, telecommunications, especially those supporting industrial manufacture and export…

Regarding agricultural production, the province will zone the 300-hectare Bau Bang industrial park to absorb garment and textile projects and those with auxiliary industries; have good preparations for strong investment attraction when the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement signed; continue fully making infrastructure of province-based industrial parks and compounds, restrict production and business outside industrial parks and compounds. The province will also mobilize some investors of industrial parks and compounds and enterprises outside industrial parks in the southern region to remove to the northern region.

The province has also set 2014’s targets on socio-economic development: industrial production value up 16%; agricultural production up 4%; services growth at 20%; export turnover up 16.5%; FDI attraction at around US$1bln; 45,000 laborers to be offered jobs; the ratio of poor households under the new poverty line at 1.5%-2%...

Reported by a group of political correspondents