Realizing mangosteen brings high economic efficiency, Nguyen Van Ty residing at Suoi Cat hamlet in Dau Tieng district’s Thanh Tuyen commune has researched to got involved in the model of planting this kind of tree. As a result, this model has brought his family a stable source of income.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed off last week on a decision to create the Ho Chi Minh City Region by 2030 with a vision to 2050.

Construction started on July 5 for an extension of the Thac Mo hydro-electric power plant in the southeastern province of Binh Phuoc, which will raise the plant’s capacity to 225MW.

The country is expected to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) worth US$8 billion into industrial zones (IPs) and $2 billion into economic zones (EZs) this year. A view of the Phu My 1 Industrial Zone in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. The country is expected to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) worth US$8 billion into industrial zones this year. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has released a report on the operations of IPs and EZs in 2013 and the development plan for 2014, showing that Viet Nam has 289 IPs and EZs with total area of 81,000 hectares. Of these, 191 IPs have come into operation with a total area of 54,000 hectares and other 98 IZs have been carrying out land clearance and basic construction with total area of 27,008 hectares. The ministry said the additional area of IPs this year would be between 2,000 and 2,500 hectares, bringing the total to 84,000 hectares. The number of 15 seaside EZs, with a total area of 697,800 hectares, would be unchanged. Tran Duy Dong, Deputy Director of the ministry's Economic Zone Management Department, said the Government placed high value on the contribution of IPs and EZs to Viet Nam's investment capital and socio-economic development. Dong said that they had helped restructure and modernise the economy. At present, IP and EZ-based enterprises have employed two million workers and produced 40 per cent of the total industrial production value and 30 per cent of the total export turnover respectively. IPs and EZs were attractive destinations for investors, especially those from abroad. Over 50 per cent of total FDI capital in the country has come from IPs and EZs. Last year, 90 per cent of total FDI capital was channelled via FDI projects in IPs and EZs, he added. In the central coastal region, Thua Thien-Hue and Binh Thuan provinces were not able to attract as much investment as the two leading economic areas of the Southeast region and the Song Hong (Red River) Delta. By the end of 2013, the central coastal region's IPs attracted 189 FDI projects with registered capital of $2.7 billion and 830 domestic projects with registered capital of VND49.6 trillion ($2.3 billion). Meanwhile, EZs attracted 69 FDI projects with total investment capital of $8.2 billion, and 225 domestic projects with investment capital of VND125.2 trillion ($5.9 billion). He said, although the total investment capital from the central coast's IPs and EZs was modest, it had made remarkable contributions to socio-economic development in the region. Total turnover of IPs this year was forecast at $72 billion, increasing $2 billion over last year. Its export value would reach $42 billion while import value would be $41 billion, contributing VND40 trillion to the State budget. The turnover of EZs this year, would be $10 billion and they would be contributing VND23 trillion ($1.09 billion) to the State budget. The ministry said the Government had clarified that it would develop IPs and EZs on a suitable scale in each locality. The Government would not allow establishment of EZs while limiting IPs by 2020, but instead focus their resources on improving effectiveness of the existing IPs and EZs. It would accelerate progress of projects and infrastructure in EZs to create pre-conditions for establishment of key IPs.                                                                                                                                              VNS/VNN

Tran Thanh Liem, Vice-Chairman of provincial People’s Committee made the statement at a conference reviewing provincial Cooperative Alliance’s activities in the first half of 2014 and define its key tasks for the rest for the year held yesterday, July 4.

Phu Giao district’s Farmers’ Association has just summed up its emulation movement of “Good farmer in production and business” in the 2012 and 2014 period.

Over the past time, Thuan An town well realized its development orientations for trade- services, creating favorable conditions for enterprises to promote these fields. This contributed to raising the proportion of trade-services in the local economic structure.

 

Many farming households in Thuan An town have got involved in the models of cultivating crops and vegetables; raising pythons, crocodiles…, bringing high economic efficiency. The models are suitable to the town’s orientation for urban agricultural development, so they have received more attention from the local authorities at all levels.

On July 25, 2013, during Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s state visit to the US, the two countries forged a comprehensive partnership. What significant changes have been made through the signing of this partnership, particularly in the trade and investment sectors?

On July 3, Thuan An town People’s Committee held a preliminary summing up conference on the work on controlling smuggling, fake product and trade fraud in the first half of this year and set out tasks for the remaining months of 2014.

Do Thanh Binh in Bo La hamlet, Phuoc Hoa commune, Phu Giao district gets the title of good farmer in production and business for many consecutive years. Thanks to participating in safe vegetable growing model, his family escapes poverty and enjoys a comfortable life. Binh takes care of his vegetable garden. More than 10 years of growing safe vegetables, Do Thanh Binh makes wealth on his homeland. Binh said "My family planted vegetables on traditional ways, so vegetables' quality and productivity were very low. Since applying the model of growing safe vegetables trained by the communal Farmers' Society, his products create a high income. Thanks to laboriousness and participation in training classes on tech-science transfer, he successfully builds the model. At present, on an area of 1ha, Binh focuses on planting rubber trees and cucumber, bitter melon, luffa and so on and reaching about VND100mil per year. Binh added that his process of growing safe vegetables obeys technical regulations to minimize pests and ensure food safety and hygiene for customers. As a member of the commune team of safe vegetable production, Binh positively exchanges production experiences with other members. Pham Thanh Dung, chairman of Phuoc Hoa commune Farmers' Society said that Binh's safe vegetable model contributes to not only bring economic efficiency and create positive change in awareness and action of the society's members, helping them maintain and develop their production and cultivation.                                                                                                                  Reported by P.An - Translated by A.C

French supermarket chain Big C’s Support and Development Center for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) has just launched. The objective of the center is to support SMEs to improve their production and business capacity for better development.