Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the central province of Quang Ngai to focus on attracting investment, especially foreign support, to develop industrial clusters and parks to stimulate socio-economic development in the locality.

During the September 13 working session with key leaders of the province, PM Dung said that besides boosting industry, Quang Ngai should also advance the agricultural sector through increasing application of technology in production to enhance the productivity, quality and competitiveness of products.

Noting that the ratio of poor households in Quang Ngai remains high at 17 percent, the PM urged the locality to pay more attention to poverty reduction measures, while focusing more on vocational training and human resources development to meet the labour requirements of local industrial parks.

In addition, he asked the province to continue implementing the programme of building new-style rural areas, thus increasing local people’s income, while improving its investment environment, intensifying administrative reforms and ensuring social welfare.

PM Dung also gave his opinions on the proposal to develop Ly Son island district and the construction of Tri Binh-Dung Quat road, a key transport project.

Praising the efforts that the province has made over the past years, PM Dung said its comprehensive achievements seen in all fields have made positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the whole country.

At the working session, Secretary of the Quang Ngai provincial Party Committee Vo Van Thuong reported that in the first eight months of this year, positive changes have been seen in all areas.

Specifically, the total GDP of the province in the January-June period rose 13.6 percent year on year, industrial production increased by 27 percent, while export earnings were up 40.43 percent, he said.

In the last months of this year, the province will continue fulfilling its set targets, focusing on boosting the economy, helping businesses remove obstacles, improving its provincial competitiveness index (PCI), and creating a favourable environment for investors, Thuong added.-VNA