After being re-established more than 20 years ago, with great effortsKon Tum province has attained impressive and important socioeconomicachievements, particularly in poverty reduction.
To learn about its achievements as well as development orientations,Vietnam Business Forum Magazine has an interview with Nguyen Van Hung,Chairman of Kon Tum Provincial People’s Committee.
*Could you introduce the remarkable socioeconomic developmentachievements of Kon Tum province in the more than 20 years since itsre-establishment?
Economically, the province hasseen increasing annual economic growth. Annual economic growth was 9.15percent in the 1992 - 1995 period, 9.85 percent in the 1996 - 2000period, 11 percent in the 2001 - 2005 period, 14.51 percent in the 2005 -2010 period, 13.89 percent in the 2011 - 2012 period, and estimated at12.4 percent in 2013. State budget revenue has rapidly increased.
Agriculture and forestry has made progress. The production valueexpanded 3.28 percent a year in the 1992 - 1995 period, 10.7 percent inthe 1996 -2000 period, 9.15 percent in the 2001 - 2005 period, 7.52percent in the 2005 - 2010 period, 8.24 percent in the 2011 - 2012period, and estimated at 6.78 percent in 2013. Apart from traditionalcrops and livestock, high-value industrial crops like rubber and coffeeare actively developed.
The industrial sectorposted an annual growth of 14.5 percent in the 1996-2000 period, 16.76percent in the 2001 - 2005 period, 25.5 percent in the 2005 - 2010period, 17.35 percent in the 2011 - 2012 period, and estimated at 15.88percent in 2013. With sound policies, the industry has gradually andstably developed on the right track.
The trade andservice sector saw a yearly growth of 6.8 percent a year in the 1996 -2000 period, 11.18 percent in the 2001 - 2005 phase, 16.49 percent inthe 2006 - 2010 period, and 31.64 percent in the 2011 - 2012 period.
Potentials in hydropower, minerals and forest landhave attracted a lot of businesses and investors to the province. Theinfrastructure has been much invested and gradually met the demand ofpeople and enterprises.
The quality of educationand health care has been continuously improved. Poverty reduction hasalso been accelerated to better living conditions of the people. But inmy opinion, the greatest achievement is the strong belief of the entirepopulation in the province in the prospect of poverty elimination at theend of 2015.
* To bring into play its advantages inconnection with the central region and the Central Highlands, to getout of poverty in 2015 and become a highlight in the Central Highlands,what programmes and groundbreaking actions will Kon Tum take?
To unlock potentials and make socioeconomic development breakthroughs,Kon Tum province issued a scheme for construction and development offlagship economic sectors and key products. Particularly, the provincehas developed five sectors into flagship sectors, including perennialcrop planting; forest planting and care; agro-forestry production andprocessing; extractive industry; and electricity production,transmission and distribution. The scheme also specifies the developmentof the nine key products, including coffee; rubber and rubber products;cassava and cassava products; Ngoc Linh ginseng; vegetables; freshwaterfish; pulp and paper; brick and tile; and electricity.
To date, 1,100ha of tea, vegetables, flowers and fruits with higheconomic value has been invested by businesses and 280ha are being caredby households and individuals. Three commercial salmon and sturgeonbreeding projects are being carried out, in association with ecotourismdevelopment, and four cooperatives are culturing sturgeons. Babysturgeons are also being exported to other localities. Enterprises alsoinvested in 7.84 ha of ginseng nurseries and 169ha of Ngoc Linh ginseng.
Currently, Kon Tum is seeing new hugeopportunities for development after the Government approved thedevelopment of construction plan of Mang Den ecological tourism zone,investment for National Road 24 and Ho Chi Minh Highway (Kon Tum - GiaLai section).
In addition, the province hasactively promoted external relations to lay the foundation for theformation of an economic corridor that connects surrounding provinces tothe Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone like Ubon, Ratchathaniand Sisaket provinces (Thailand), Champasak, Sekong and Attapeuprovinces (Laos), and Central Highlands and central provinces (Vietnam).
In 2012, Kon Tum province proposed to theGovernment and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to organise the8th meeting of Coordinating Committee of Development Triangle (Cambodia,Laos and Vietnam) Bo Y International Border Gate Economic Zone has beenchosen to be one of eight border gate economic zones to be funded bythe State Budget for development in the 2012-2015 period to become adriving force and the centre of the development triangle.
* As a part of Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Development Triangle, do youhave any proposals to step up connectivity and investment cooperationwith other localities?
In the past time, in spiteof achieving significant results, the Cambodia - Laos - VietnamDevelopment Triangle is a specially poor region. Underlying challenge todevelopment is lax interconnectivity with interested regions,unsynchronised and degraded infrastructure, insufficient labour supply,especially high-level personnel, etc. To strengthen linkage andcooperation for investment in localities in the CLV DevelopmentTriangle, I think, we need to focus on seven issues as follows:
First, the centre of connectivity - the driving force for triangledevelopment - will be the Indochina Junction where Vietnam, Laos andCambodia share the borderline. Then, the centre will link to economiccentres in Northeast Thailand (Ubon Ratchathani), Laos (Champasak) andVietnam (provinces from the Central Highlands and the Southeast, Ho ChiMinh City, Nhon Hoi Economic Zone, Dung Dung Economic Zone, Chu Lai OpenEconomic Zone, Da Nang city). The province will open the border gate ofDak Coi (Kon Tum) - KonTuyNaek (Ratanakiri, Cambodia) to support the BoY (Kon Tum) - Phu Cua (Attapeu) border gate.
Second, building traffic corridors connecting regions to develop theeconomic corridor, routes to serve tourism, agriculture and industrialdevelopment, roads leading to border gates to support the development ofCLV development triangle
Third, linking inagricultural development to create a commercial agriculture of largescale, concentration and high competitiveness; building up the brandnames for some products of comparative advantages of the DevelopmentTriangle such as coffee, rubber, cocoa, pepper and cotton. A high-techrubber processing centre is expected to te set up here.
Fourth, cooperating in human resource training.
Fifth, the governments of three countries need special mechanisms,policies and incentives for joint socioeconomic development in theDevelopment Triangle like drawing external investment sources like ODAand FDI; apply common administrative mechanisms and procedures for goodstransportation, travelling and capital mobility in the CLV DevelopmentTriangle.
Sixth, leaders of investmentministries, affected provinces of the three countries and the SteeringCommittee on Central Highlands should agree on coordinating mechanismsfor affected localities, and
Seventh, coordinating insecurity and foreign affairs to strengthen peace, stability anddevelopment for the region and security and safety for investors andresidents in Development Triangle.-VNA