Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (middle) at the working session (Source: VNA) Speaking to 400 local and foreign investors,the PM pointed to the province’s advantages as the largest bazan soildepository suitable for the cultivation of industrial plants, a hub of theCambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle and a land of rich culture,especially the gong cultural space which has been recognised by the UNESCO as anintangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The Government has paid special heedto developing the Central Highlands, including Gia Lai province, through the planningof water resources development and the construction of infrastructuralfacilities, he affirmed.
The government will fund the upgradeof major national highways connecting with Gia Lai such as Highway 19, Phu Yen– Gia Lai road, Ho Chi Minh Trail, as well as airports and other facilities, hestressed.
Gia Lai has so far attracted fiveforeign-invested projects worth a modest 12 million USD, ranking 61st out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide. Its provincial competitiveness indexranks 47th nationally.
Between 2016 and 2018, the locality willpitch for investment in agro-forestry processing, construction materials,consumer goods, energy, education, culture, sports and tourism.
At the event, the PM asked theMinistry of Planning and Investment to outline support policies towardsinvestors in the Central Highlands and Gia Lai in particular.
The Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment was also required to work closely with the State Bank and theFinance Ministry to seek stable markets for local signature products.
According to him, the Government willconsider establishing several national tourist areas and holding more festivalsso that Gia Lai could live well on the pillars of agriculture, processingindustry and tourism services.
Meanwhile, the local authorities needto devise master plans for economic, industrial and tourism areas, and cultivation,he noted, asking them to further develop the processing industry, especiallyfor coffee, while focusing on organic farming, farm product processing andhigh-tech agriculture as the local strengths.
On the occasion, he asked Gia Lai to give more specific commitments toinvestors in terms of electricity, water and infrastructure, towards doublingthe number of enterprises to 7,000 in the next five years.
In the meantime, the leader wishedthat the province would heed workforce training, poverty reduction and culturalpreservation.
The local authorities also took theoccasion to affirm their resolve to improve the business climate and facilitatestart-ups.
At the end of the event, a number ofmemoranda of understanding on investment in high-tech agriculture, irrigation,transport and culture were signed.
During a working session with localauthorities on December 17, the PM pointed out that Gia Lai’s economic scaleremains below the country’s average with the lack of brands well-known in theregion and the world.
In order to fix them, he demanded to implementthe government’s socio-economic resolution right from the beginning of nextyear and map out detailed action plans to continue removing business barriers.
This year, the province’s grossdomestic product is estimated at 36.26 trillion VND, up 7.48 percent annually.As scheduled, Gia Lai will record 30 new-style rural areas and 46.2 percentforest coverage later this year. It plans to plant 7,000ha of forest next year.
While in Gia Lai, the PM offeredincense to the statue of President Ho Chi Minh with Central Highlands ethnic minoritygroups, the largest in Vietnam, visited and presented gifts to ethnic minority families.-VNA
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