QUẢNG NINH — The northern province of Quảng Ninh will continue to improve the investment climate and sharpen competition in a move to facilitate investment in the agricultural sector, said the provincial People’s Committee chairman Nguyễn Đức Long.

During an investment promotion conference held in Quảng Ninh late last week, Long encouraged domestic and foreign enterprises to study investment opportunities in the locality, especially in animal husbandry, seafood farming and processing.

He vowed that local authorities would create the most favourable conditions for these firms in implementing their projects here.

In his speech, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hà Công Tuấn, suggested the province concentrate on three pillars of agriculture; value-added production, new-style rural areas, and infrastructure and capacity to mitigate natural disasters and protect natural resources.

Nguyễn Đỗ Anh Tuấn, Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development agreed that there remained untapped investment opportunities waiting for investors in Quảng Ninh, especially when the province’s demand for agricultural products was huge.

Currently, Quảng Ninh had to import up to 60 per cent of agricultural products from other provinces, and the price of the farm produce in the province was much higher than that of others. That was not to mention incentives that investors would be offered to invest in the agricultural sector, Tuấn said.

Participation at the event heard that Quảng Ninh has built a chain of products for agriculture, including the one commune one product (OCOP) programme, which aimed to promote local farm produce. The province has also planned to develop several hi-tech agriculture parks such as Đông Triều, Đầm Hà and Vân Đồn.

Thanks to its efforts, Quảng Ninh attracted some large projects including a VNĐ650 billion (US$29 million) hi-tech agriculture centre being developed by Vingroup in Đông Triều Commune, and a cattle farming project, worth over VNĐ2.25 trillion ($100.4 million). Financed by Phú Lâm Co, the large-scale farming project covers 1,000ha in Móng Cái City.

At the conference, the provincial People’s Committee granted investment licences to two projects, including the Việt Nam-Australia Seafood Co’s shrimp breeding project which would use greenhouse technology in Đầm Hà District, and a hi-tech farming project, invested by the Vingroup’s Vineco Co. The two projects had a total investment capital of over VNĐ628 billion ($28 million). The event also saw the memoranda of understanding inked among local authorities and research institutes and strategic partners in pig farming and hi-tech application in agriculture. - VNS