The Mekong Delta key economic zone will focus on industrial, trade and agricultural development with priority given to the industrial sector in a bid to fulfil the set target of contributing 13.3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020.

To realise its industrial development programme, the zone - including An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces and Can Tho city - has rearranged State-owned businesses operating in the field of aquatic product processing towards equitisation.

The businesses have also received support to upgrade their equipment and technologies, raise processing capacity and expand operations.

The zone’s fishery exports have expanded further to such markets as Asia, Europe and North America, helping obtain an export turn-over growth rate of 13.5 percent to over 20 trillion VND (940 million USD).

Apart from building canned food factories, the zone has also upgraded and built more rice processing facilities and warehouses in An Giang, Kien Giang and Can Tho.

On the plane of commercial development, the zone has extracted its advantages and joined hands with other regions across the country to raise its annual trade growth by 17.1 percent.

Thanks to investment in infrastructure, the zone now boasts 23 wholesale markets, 21 border markets, 37 commercial centres, 52 supermarkets, four exhibition centres and four logistics centres.

Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang province is set to become an international tourism and trade centre while Can Tho city is expected to serve as a commercial and service hub for the entire region.

Rice and aquatic products have been identified as strategic with annual outputs reaching eight million tonnes and four million tonnes respectively.

Accordingly, high-tech application areas have been built in Can Tho city in a bid to raise the zone’s annual agricultural growth rate to 5.2 percent.

The zone has also set up large-scale paddy fields in Kien Giang and An Giang provinces and developed the fishery sector as a spearhead industry.

Under a project ratified by the Government in 2009, the Mekong Delta key economic zone’s annual GDP growth rate is set to increase 1.25 times in comparison with the national figure during the 2011-2020 period.-VNA