Southern Dong Nai province authorities had a dialogue with over 100 local enterprises on December 16 to figure out their difficulties and seek ways to raise their production and expand export markets.

Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of the Dong Nai Livestock Association, proposed local credit organisations allow greater access to preferential credit packages for farmers and accept livestock products as security for their loans.

Representatives from local firms suggested that Dong Nai and credit institutions loosen lending procedures and create preferential loans to help enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, access capital sources to expand their business.

The authorities pledged to exert every effort to remove administrative difficulties for enterprises promptly. Meanwhile, the State Bank of Vietnam provincial branch vowed to come up with policies that enable businesses to access needed capital.

In 2015, Dong Nai plans to back local firms to explore new export markets besides traditional ones of Asia, the US, Japan and China. At the same time, the province will also make full use of preferences in markets that are to sign free trade agreements with Vietnam, including the EU, the Republic of Korea, and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the locality earned over 1.2 billion USD from exports in November, up 0.3 percent over the previous month, pushing the turnover in January-November to 11.55 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 16.8 percent.

In 2015, Dong Nai targets 14.4 billion USD in exports, up 15 percent year on year.

Dong Nai, together with Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc, Long An and Tien Giang provinces and Ho Chi Minh City, form Vietnam’s southern key economic region.

The province, Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Duong are amongst the most attractive FDI destinations in Vietnam.-VNA