Lao Cai (VNA) – Lao Caimust strive towards sustainable and inclusive tourism development, PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told the northern mountainous province’s trade, investmentand tourism promotion conference, which took place on July 20.

It means Lao Cai must fostertourism growth while preserving local landscapes and natural biodiversity andprotect unique cultures and environment, Phuc said. And, at the same time, all local people must be able to enjoythe fruitions of tourism development for what they have contributed,he added.

The PM urged the province to sustainablydevelop local traditional industries, like the making ofsteel billets, cement, kaolin, and yellow phosphorus, saying the government doesnot welcome investors in mining with a short-term vision, outdated technologyand small-scale production that may hamper environmental sustainability andcontribute very little to the economic growth.

He also underlined the need tointensify prevention of illegal mineral exports and revoke inefficient miningprojects.

The leader moved on to talk aboutLao Cai’s promising agriculture, highlighting seven crops set to grow onlarge-scale specialised farms, including high-quality rice, specialty rice,medicinal herbs, vegetables, high-quality tea, tropical fruits, temperatefruits and flowers. If advanced techniques and technologies are applied,average agricultural revenue can reach 120 – 150 million VND per hectare and even200 – 300 million VND per hectare or more in the next few years, he said.

Phuc suggested Lao Cai developagriculture on three pillars – organic and clean farming, use of hightechnology in production and processing, and linkages in value chains.

He asked the province to improve accessibility of land andinformation for businesses and enhance quality of business support serviceswhile investing more on vocational education and human resources quality.

He also sent a message toinvestors, saying all investors to Lao Cai in particular and the Northwestregion in general are appreciated as, in spite of this land’s great potential,local people struggle to make ends meet and infrastructure is poor in manyareas.

“Each penny from the investor,each livelihood or job created is valuable,” he said.

He wanted the investors to honour their commitments and make a worthy contributionto the local economy, not only helping create employments but also improveincome, productivity and social welfare for the locals.

The event,themed “Lao Cai – A Destination of Success”, brought together over 500delegates, many of whom were representatives from major groups and enterprisesat home and overseas.

Later at the conference, Lao Caisigned cooperation agreements with 11 partners, worth over 124 trillion VND(5.3 billion USD) and presented decisions approving investment for eightprojects, worth 22 trillion VND (1 billion USD). These projects are expected tostart between 2019 and early 2020.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also visiteda war invalid and the family of a martyr in Lao Cai on the occasion of the 72thanniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27). –VNA