The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran ThanhNam has urged the speedier disbursement of bank loans to thousands offishermen in need of modern boats and cutting-edge technology.
Speakingat a forum on offshore fishing held last week in Rach Gia in Kien Giangprovince, Nam said that offshore fishing played an essential role ineconomic development, helped to protect the country's sovereignty, andcreated jobs for millions of people.
Vietnam's fishing industryranks 20th in the world in output and fourth in exports, but 90 percentof the vessels are small, made of wood, and have outdated technologies,according to Nam.
Kien Giang province has one of the country's largest fishing grounds, with more than 63,000sq km.
With200km of coastline with many islands, the area has favourableconditions for fishing, with an annual output of around 500,000 tonnes,according to Mai Anh Nhin, Deputy Chairman of Kien Giang province'sPeople's Committee.
But the industry faces poor logistics service, Nhin said.
Hesaid new boats were necessary for the area to become a major fishingcentre in the Mekong Delta, as planned by the central Government.
DuongMinh Chuan, Vice Principal of Kien Giang University, pointed out otherchallenges facing the industry, including poor living standards andunstable incomes of fishermen, poor safety regulations and weak statemanagement.
Also speaking at the forum, Nguyen Xuan Niem, DeputyDirector of Kien Giang's Department of Science and Technology, said theuse of the latest technologies on boats would bring huge benefits forfishermen.
Speakers at the forum also agreed that it wasessential to establish more service companies catering to fishingvessels, especially logistics vessels supplying gasoline, oil, water andrice at sea. This would help fishermen stay offshore for a longerperiod of time.
About 200 fishermen from the region attended theforum. They spoke about their challenges related to the Government'sDecree 67 on incentive policies for fishermen.
Decree 67 permitsbank loans to fishermen at lower interest rates and with favourablegrace periods. It also promotes infrastructure investment in aquaculturefarms.
Under the decree, fishermen are allowed to borrow 90percent of the cost for building boats made of metal over 10 years at aninterest rate of 3 percent. Loans for wooden boats can be 70 percent ofbuilding costs.
Although the decree has been implemented for nearly one year, only a few fishermen have accessed preferential loans.
In Kien Giang province, only one out of 30 fishermen eligible for the loans has been able to take out a loan.
Theevent was organised by the National Agriculture Promotion Centre incooperation with the Kien Giang province's People's Committee.-VNA
Speakingat a forum on offshore fishing held last week in Rach Gia in Kien Giangprovince, Nam said that offshore fishing played an essential role ineconomic development, helped to protect the country's sovereignty, andcreated jobs for millions of people.
Vietnam's fishing industryranks 20th in the world in output and fourth in exports, but 90 percentof the vessels are small, made of wood, and have outdated technologies,according to Nam.
Kien Giang province has one of the country's largest fishing grounds, with more than 63,000sq km.
With200km of coastline with many islands, the area has favourableconditions for fishing, with an annual output of around 500,000 tonnes,according to Mai Anh Nhin, Deputy Chairman of Kien Giang province'sPeople's Committee.
But the industry faces poor logistics service, Nhin said.
Hesaid new boats were necessary for the area to become a major fishingcentre in the Mekong Delta, as planned by the central Government.
DuongMinh Chuan, Vice Principal of Kien Giang University, pointed out otherchallenges facing the industry, including poor living standards andunstable incomes of fishermen, poor safety regulations and weak statemanagement.
Also speaking at the forum, Nguyen Xuan Niem, DeputyDirector of Kien Giang's Department of Science and Technology, said theuse of the latest technologies on boats would bring huge benefits forfishermen.
Speakers at the forum also agreed that it wasessential to establish more service companies catering to fishingvessels, especially logistics vessels supplying gasoline, oil, water andrice at sea. This would help fishermen stay offshore for a longerperiod of time.
About 200 fishermen from the region attended theforum. They spoke about their challenges related to the Government'sDecree 67 on incentive policies for fishermen.
Decree 67 permitsbank loans to fishermen at lower interest rates and with favourablegrace periods. It also promotes infrastructure investment in aquaculturefarms.
Under the decree, fishermen are allowed to borrow 90percent of the cost for building boats made of metal over 10 years at aninterest rate of 3 percent. Loans for wooden boats can be 70 percent ofbuilding costs.
Although the decree has been implemented for nearly one year, only a few fishermen have accessed preferential loans.
In Kien Giang province, only one out of 30 fishermen eligible for the loans has been able to take out a loan.
Theevent was organised by the National Agriculture Promotion Centre incooperation with the Kien Giang province's People's Committee.-VNA
