Can Tho targets 1.67 billion USD in 2017 exports

Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has set the goal to earn 1.67 billion USD from exports in 2017, a rise of 7.5 percent over 2016.

To this end, the municipal People’s Committee has designed a number of measures, including increasing trade promotion at home and abroad, and tapping all opportunities to develop export markets.

Meanwhile, the locality will increase the application of new technologies in production, while creating favourable conditions for the export of new products with high value, including footwear, garment and textile, and handicrafts.

At the same time, Can Tho will also step up administrative reform to attract more investment. This is considered one of the breakthroughs of the city in 2017, aiming to increase production and export value, contributing to boosting local economic growth.

The city will hold regular meetings with exporters to remove the difficulties facing them in terms of mechanisms, capital, market and technology, thus enhancing export value and volume.

In 2016, Can Tho earned over 1.55 billion USD from export, up 5.7 percent over the previous year, but fulfilling only 94.1 percent of its yearly target.

The major reason of the below-expectation export is the difficulties in markets of agricultural products, as the main export products of the city are rice and frozen aquatic products. While rice faces fierce competition from regional countries, aquatic products countered strict technical barriers and high duty rate.-VNA