State President Truong Tan Sang visited the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang during the weekend to inspect its socio-economic development and responses to climate change.
During his two-day tour, President Sang had discussion with provincial leaders, during which he hailed Soc Trang’s success in maintaining stability and development despite the global and domestic economic difficulties in 2012.
Out of the 26 key targets set by the Party Revolution, 22 were realised or even surpassed. In particular, the province’s rice production was an unprecedented success with a harvest of 2.25 million tonnes.
He said that given the country’s economic difficulties, the province’s leaders need to be proactive in working out solutions to problems and helping farmers with their harvests, goods distribution, processing and reduction of losses.
For a province with an agriculture-intensive structure, these tasks were very important, he said.
In response to the provincial report last year stating there were 4,200 poor and 5,000 near poor households in the areas, he said provincial leaders needed to continue with measures to reduce poverty, especially among ethnic people.
Regarding the 40 percent of companies reported to be either working ineffectively or having decided to suspend operations, delayed projects involving traffic, irrigation and infrastructure, such as the Long Phu Thermal Power Plant 1 project, he requested agencies hold meetings to discuss the causes and work out solutions.
On climate change issues, the President stressed that Soc Trang would be among the provinces most affected by a rise in sea levels.
In the face of such alarming risks, he requested local State agencies to cooperate with central State agencies to work out solutions, such as engaging the private sector in investment in climate change projects.
During the visit, the President also met with representatives of the provincial Patriotic Monks Society and venerable monks from 92 local Khmer Nam Tong Buddhist Pagodas.
He reaffirmed the contributions of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta to country’s development and expressed his hopes that local Buddhist dignitaries as well as Khmer people would continue their contributions.
He also attended the launching ceremony of the renovation project for the Ho Chi Minh temple in An Thach Dong commune in Cu Lao Dung district, a national historic heritage site.
During the tour, President Sang visited a protective forest and a shrimp farm at Trung Binh commune, Tran De district.
He inspected the implementation of the Long Phu Thermal Power Plant 1 project – the largest thermal power project in the Mekong Delta with a capacity of 1,200MW, and visited families of war soldiers.-VNA
