The meeting between PM Pham Minh Chinh and Ben Tre officials on February 16 (Photo: VNA)He said Ben Tre holds a specialposition in road and sea transport connectivity. With a 65km coastline and an exclusiveeconomic zone of nearly 20,000sq.km, it boasts favourable conditions fordeveloping sea-based economic sectors, logistics, and wind power.
Besides, the province is home to arelatively large area of fertile farmland, vast mangrove forests, rich fisheryresources, and a big river and canal system ideal for developing waterwaytransport linking with others in the Mekong Delta and the southern key economicregion. It also has a long history and diverse culture of 23 ethnic groups.
Such numerous distinctive advantagesand diverse resources provide a pre-condition for Ben Tre to make developmentbreakthroughs, the PM opined.
Holding advantages for boosting thesea-based economy, Ben Tre should make development plans for gas-fired powergeneration, renewable energy, aquaculture, fishing, transportation, andlogistics.
The Government leader pointed out theneed to enhance connectivity within the province as well as with other MekongDelta localities, those across Vietnam, and other countries to fueldevelopment. Therefore, it is important to develop roads and inland waterwaytransport to strengthen that connectivity and optimise every potential andadvantage.
Ben Tre province posted GRDP growth of 7.33% and 1.51 billion USD in exports in 2022. (Photo: VNA)Ben Tre is home to over 70,000ha of coconut trees and a large area of shrimp farming, which should be developedinto key sectors, PM Chinh recommended, adding that it needs to press on with theOne Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme, build new-style countryside,connect urban and rural areas, modernise the irrigation network, efficientlyexploit the Mekong River’s water resource, and cope with climate change,natural disasters, and saltwater intrusion.
It was reported at the meeting that in 2022, the province's gross regional domestic product grew7.33%; exports reached 1.51 billion USD, up 19.69%; the State budget revenuetopped 5.6 trillion VND (236.5 million USD), 6.43% higher than the target; total development investmentin society approximated 23 trillion VND, up 14.32%; and 63 FDI projects and 267domestic ones were attracted to the locality.
Ben Tre showed good performance inbuilding new-style rural areas, developing products under the OCOP programme,controlling saltwater intrusion, promoting administrative reform and provincialcompetitiveness, and supporting startups, enterprises and the collectiveeconomy.
Local officials also highlightedachievements in cultural affairs, education, health care, social security ensuring,defence, security and sovereignty safeguarding, and the Party and politicalsystem building./.
VNA
