PM forms delta economic zone

December 06, 2011 | 19:59

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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to establish a Key Economic Zone in the Mekong Delta.

illustration photo

The planned KEZ, which includes southern provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau as well as Can Tho city, is expected to have a growth rate 1.25 times higher than the average GDP growth rate of the country in the 2011-20 period.

Under the plan, this KEZ in the country's major rice basket will make up 40 per cent in the nation's GDP in 2020.

The zone's economy will be restructured, with an increase in the contribution of the industrial and services sectors and fewer inputs from the agricultural, forestry and fishery sectors.

The contribution of the zone's industrial and construction sectors will rise from 29 per cent in 2010 to 40 per cent in 2020, and the contribution of the zone's service sector from 42 per cent to 45 per cent over the same period.

Meanwhile, the contribution of the zone's agricultural, forestry and fishery sectors will decrease from 29.4 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2020.

Per capita income of the zone's residents is expected to rise from $1,200 last year to $3,000 in 10 years.

To reach these targets, the zone must speed up its technological renewal during its modernisation process, with technological renewal of 20 per cent annually.

The ratio of trained workers should be raised from 38 per cent of its labour force in 2010 to 65 per cent in 2020.

In the next decade, the zone will focus on developing three thermal power complexes of O Mon, Ca Mau and Kien Luong, with total capacity of 9,000MW to 9,400MW.

These power complexes will be fuelled by gas from fields offshore the southwest coastline.

Priority will be given to the development of transport infrastructure in the region, including National Highway No1A, the N1 and N2 highways, the road systems on Phu Quoc Island and airports in the zone.

Enterprises and businesses from different economic sectors are encouraged to invest in Build-Transfer (BT) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) forms in insfrastructure projects such as highways, airports and ports, according to the PM's decision.