Binh Duong's economy is struggling to cope with and adapt to the ongoing Covid-19. Currently, the province has ready scenarios to actively implement the "dual goal", in which the province strives to achieve the goal of economic growth at the highest level. The problem now is that the province continues to strengthen disease prevention and control, and aid enterprises to overcome difficulties to maintain economic growth momentum and obtain the highest results by the end of 2021.
Binh Duong is trying its best to create favorable conditions for businesses to ensure safety during the pandemic to continue production. In photo: Production activities at NTI Vina Company (VSIP 2).
Efforts to overcome difficulties
The worsening pandemic have made a negative impact on the operations and development of enterprises, affected all socio-economic sectors. Most manufacturing and service industries went down, and some industries and fields have stagnated, such as services, tourism, and non-essential transportation.
Although some socio-economic indicators in July decreased compared to June and the same period last year, the results achieved over the first six months made important contributions, laying the foundation for provincial main indicators of seven months to increase over the same period last year. Specifically, the index of industrial production (IIP) increased by 7.3%; total retail sales of consumer goods and services increased by 7%; export turnover is estimated at 20.3 billion USD, up 43.5%; import turnover is estimated at 15.85 billion USD, up 43.7%; total state budget revenue was estimated at 41 trillion VND, up 18.8% over the same period last year.
Mai Ba Truoc, Director of Department of Planning and Investment, said that many companies are facing risks and operational difficulties due to supply chain disruption, high production costs, additional costs for anti-pandemic work… Although efforts have been made to implement many solutions to avoid production disruptions, such as "three-on-spot" or "one-road, two-locations" method, the effectiveness of the solutions has not really been high as expected. The current context poses a great requirement and task, that is to fight the pandemic fiercely and effectively, and at the same time it is necessary to maintain and restore production and business, making the best efforts to avoid production and supply chain disruptions.
To put more effort to support enterprises
Binh Duong aims to control the new Covid-19 wave as soon as possible, and strives to implement the socio-economic development plan at the highest level by maximum support measures for companies, people and employees in the province. Previously, Provincial People's Committee issued a decision to establish a team to assist and solve difficulties for businesses affected by the Covid-19. The team is responsible for receiving, listening to difficulties, problems and recommendations related to production and business activities; direct the implementation of solutions to support and remove difficulties according to its competence. In addition, Provincial People's Committee required the team to report and propose weekly plans to have a timely support for businesses.
According to Mai Ba Truoc, in order to timely support and share difficulties with businesses, the province is rushing to develop more effective policies for businesses to effectively apply the "three-on-spot" by providing cash, human and material resources, knowledge and experience in testing, screening, disease prevention as well as treatment for infected workers. The province continues to study and adjust the "one-road, two-locations" to encourage application of businesses that cannot implement the "three-on-spot" option.
In addition, in order to create the most favorable conditions for businesses to access support policies, the province continue to summarize the labor situation, handle and solve problems in enterprises, and have solutions to motivate workers; develop plans to help enterprises find alternative labor sources; well implement inter-provincial and inter-regional coordination measures in managing the circulation of goods, ensuring favorable conditions for the supply chains of production materials, and the smooth transportation of essential goods and consumer goods; continue to remove difficulties and facilitate access to capital, loans, customs, tax, commerce, and electronic payment to help enterprises. Currently, the province is actively implementing relief packages on monetary policy, extending payment term of value added tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax and land rent in 2021; debt restructuring, exemption and reduction of interest rates, credit support...
Regarding vaccination against Covid-19 for employees in enterprises, Bui Minh Tri, Head of Management Board of provincial Industrial Parks, said that in the near future, all employees of "three-on-spot" enterprises in "green zones" will be vaccinated. Up to this time, vaccinations are completed at four industrial parks with enterprises implementing "three-on-spot"; the remaining zones reach 70%. In the near future, Covid jabs will be given to about 7,000 - 8,000 workers of Bau Bang Industrial Park.
Vo Van Minh, Deputy Secretary of Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said that the "dual goal" is the right policy that the province is persistently implementing. In order to maintain production and business activities and protect domestic and international supply chains, enterprises need to join hands with localities to well organize production models in the new situation. In the coming time, the province and green localities will select a number of enterprises to pilot a model, in which workers of one company stay in the same safe lodging house, are tested before entering the company. Regarding production organization, the lodging house, workers and company must be "green".
Reported by Ngoc Thanh - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
