Tra Vinh (VNA) –With its fertile soil and great development potential, Tra Vinh province isexpected to become a new centre for trading, aquatic product processing andhigh-value agriculture of the southern region and the whole country in the nearfuture, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

PM Phuc made the remarks while addressing aconference promoting investment, trade and tourism in the Mekong Delta provinceof Tra Vinh on April 24, which saw the participation of central and localofficials, along with representatives of hundreds of Vietnamese and foreignbusinesses.

He said that this prospect is achievable sinceTra Vinh owns synchronous infrastructure, including National Highways 53, 54and 60, and a big seaport capable of handling 20 million tonnes of cargo each yearand receiving container vessels of up to 50,000 DWT.

Tra Vinh is located between the Tien and HauRivers, the two main branches of the Mekong River, which is convenient forconnecting with other south-western provinces, Ho Chi Minh City and othercountries, PM Phuc noted.

While there are certain advantages such as along coast to develop wind and solar power, the local climate is also ideal forgrowing rice, coconut trees, sugar canes, peanut trees and fruit trees toprovide materials for the processing industry.

The Government leader asked Tra Vinh to takebreakthrough solutions and zone off industrial parks so that the industrialsector could serve agriculture and aquatic product processing while attractinginvestment in renewable energy development.

The province should help investors to gain athorough understanding of local advantages, as well as cultural, historical andreligious features, thereby capitalising on its agricultural, sea-basedeconomic and tourism potential, he added.

The Government and provincial authorities wantto listen to investors’ opinions so as to tackle obstacles hindering their operations,the PM stressed.

Chairman of the provincial People’s CommitteeDong Van Lam said the province is offering a number of incentives for investorsand will assist businesses during their operations here.

Tra Vinh has attracted 161 investment projects,including 32 foreign direct investment (FDI) ones. Twenty-two of the FDIprojects have been put in operation, contributing 60 percent to Tra Vinh’sexport revenues and providing jobs for more than 35,000 workers, he noted.

At the meeting, the provincial People’sCommittee presented investment certificates and decisions to five Vietnameseenterprises and one foreign firm whose projects are worth 240.5 million USD intotal.-VNA