Hanoi (VNA)🥀 – The best way for Tra Vinh province to fulfill socio-economic tasks in the next few years is to foster economic restructuring in an extensive, practical and effective manner, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.

Talking to provincial officials in Hanoi on June 18, he applauded the Mekong Delta province’s development efforts in the first half of 2016, when it was severely affected by saltwater intrusion and unfavourable global and domestic economic conditions. He, however, pointed to Tra Vinh’s weaknesses, such as the modest number of businesses, slow economic restructuring and underdeveloped infrastructure. As the Government has no plan to adjust socio-economic development targets for this year, the province should take every possible measure to address difficulties facing local residents and businesses. It must pay heed to improving the business environment and supporting enterprises’ operations, the PM said, adding that Tra Vinh also needs to step up building new-style rural areas. He asked ministries and relevant agencies to provide assistance for the province to cope with short- and long-term problems. They should soon carry out infrastructure projects that can enhance the province’s capacity of responding to saline encroachment and climate change. Tra Vinh, a coastal locality in the southeast of the Mekong Delta, relies mostly on agricultural and sea-based economic activities. It is still a low-income province with a large number of ethnic minority people. The recent drought and saltwater intrusion have affected 29,067ha of rice in Tra Vinh, while 18,770 rural families have lacked water for daily use. From January to June, the province’s gross regional domestic product grew by 6.26 percent, lower than the 11 – 12 percent target, including the declines of 12.8 percent and 10.12 percent in agriculture and aquaculture. However, industrial production there rose by 98.9 percent, construction 10.89 percent and services 4.32 percent.-VNA