Workers process shrimp for export at the factory of the Minh Phu Seafood Corp. in Ca Mau province (Photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) - The COVID-19 outbreak and the severe drought will make it difficult for the southernmost province of Ca Mau to achieve this year’s growth target of 7 percent but a figure of 5.28 percent is certainly achievable, local authorities have said.
At a meeting of the provincial People’s Committee on June 2, officials noted that local socio-economic conditions have been substantially affected, with supply chains, trade flows and production and business activities interrupted by both the pandemic and the drought.
Localities such as U Minh, Thoi Binh, Tran Van Thoi, and Cai Nuoc districts as well as Ca Mau city have also suffered from heat waves and high salinity, which subsequently affected animal husbandry and aquaculture. Some 817.4ha of the province’s aquatic farming area has been damaged, while its fisheries exports still face a host of difficulties.
These problems will hamper Ca Mau’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) from growing by the targeted 7 percent this year.
Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Truong Dang Khoa predicted that the province’s GRDP would rise 5.28 percent this year, adding that Ca Mau may fail to achieve seven of the 21 socio-economic development targets set for 2020: exports, GDP, budget collection, budget spending, poverty reduction, job creation, and unemployment insurance coverage.
To shore up socio-economic conditions for the remainder of the year, People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Tien Hai said Ca Mau will adopt several solutions, such as accelerating the restructuring of key sectors, boosting technology transfer and technology application in production, processing, and services to raise productivity and product quality, taking drastic action to improve the business climate, and supporting businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to develop.
Ca Mau will also step up tourism promotion, attract more investors in tourism, and enhance links with nearby localities in tourism development, he added./.
VNA
