Mekong Delta aims for high-quality agriculture in 2019

ABO/VNA – Provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have set ambitious targets this year with a focus on high-quality agriculture combined with eco-tourism, services and industry.

 

Last year, though the Delta faced unseasonable weather, flooding and a decline in agricultural product prices, the localities achieved positive socio-economic targets.

 

Located in a key economic region, with advantages in tourism, aquaculture and rice production, Kien Giang province, for instance, achieved an economic growth rate of 7.5 percent last year.

Farmers harvest shrimp in An Giang province. (Photo: VNA)

The province’s total Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) reached more than 62.3 trillion VND (2.68 billion USD), and budget revenue collection 9.95 trillion VND (428.5 million USD), 7.7 percent higher than estimated.

Pham Vu Hong, Chairman of the Kien Giang People’s Committee, said in 2018 the province created 213 large-scale fields to help farmers apply technology to rice production.

 

The province produced more than 4.2 million tonnes of rice in 2018. At least 76 percent of high quality rice was exported, he said. The province’s aquaculture yielded about 815,400 tonnes, exceeding 4 percent of the plan.

 

It welcomed over 7.6 million visitors, of which international visitors were 580,000, exceeding 34.8 percent of the year’s plan, he added.

 

Nguyen Van Duong, Chairman of the provincial Dong Thap People’s Committee, said that export turnover of the province reached a record 1.2 billion USD last year, a surge of over 40 percent compared to the previous year.

 

The province sent more than 2,000 people to work overseas in Japan and the Republic of Korea, higher than the target of 1,000).

 

The province also focused on smart agricultural production, applying advanced technologies to ensure sustainable agriculture.

 

In addition, in 2018 Vinh Long province achieved 10.59 trillion VND (456.3 million USD) worth of agricultural production, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

 

The province’s investment environment improved with 22 new projects with total registered capital of 5.89 trillion VND (253.8 million USD), up by 10 projects over the same period.

 

The number of tourists to Vinh Long also increased by more than 8 percent over the previous year.

 

Tien Giang province also achieved good results in industry, export, tourism, rice production, and fisheries, among others.

 

Income per capita in Tien Giang increased to 47.6 million VND last year, exceeding the set target, which was higher than the average of the entire Mekong Delta region.

 

The Mekong Delta accounts for 12 percent of the national area and 19 percent of its population. It contributes 50 percent of the rice crop, 65 percent of aquaculture, 70 percent of fruit, 95 percent of exported rice and 60 percent of exported fish.