NINH BÌNH — Problems in rural electricity supply and trade promotion centres were discussed at an industry and trade sector conference held on Thursday in the northern province of Ninh Bình.

The conference attracted 28 northern provinces and cities.

Speaking about improving the electric system in rural and remote areas, the industry and trade departments of Hà Giang, Hòa Bình, Lai Châu, Hưng Yên, Thái Bình and Bắc Kạn provinces proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) arrange capital for construction projects and upgrade the electric system.

Nguyễn Văn Thành, director of the Rural Electric System Department under the MoIT said that 19 out of 28 northern provinces and cities joined the target programme of supplying electricity to households in rural, mountainous and island areas in the period of 2016-20 following Government Resolution 73 issued on August 26 this year.

The Government approved the target programme with total investment of more than VNĐ30 trillion (US$1.3 billion) but the State budget could supply only 16 per cent of the funds. The Government asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to find funding from other sources such as official development assistance.

The MoIT requested 100 million euros ($111.1 million) from the European Credit and $178 million from the Asian Development Bank to conduct the target programme soon, said Thành.

At present, the MoIT is setting up the detailed plan for the programme, so has not issued guidance for implementing the programme yet.

It was expected that by the beginning of next year, the MoIT would complete the plan, he said.

Thành added that ensuring safety for rural low pressure electric systems was important as the old system had deteriorated.

There is much work to be done with a limited State budget.

The MoIT would ask investors in provinces and cities to include the electric system upgrade in their projects, and it would be an important content when approving a project, said Thành.

Trade promotion

Tạ Hoàng Linh, deputy director of the Trade Promotion Department under the MoIT, said that trade promotion in 28 northern provinces and cities had achieved significant results.

The 28 provinces and cities allocated a total of VNĐ60 billion ($2.7 million) for trade promotion.

The MoIT also supported 57 projects with funds of VNĐ12 billion ($533,300).

Northern provinces have submitted more than 140 projects to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency.

New projects would be approved in December this year so that provinces could conduct them next year, said Linh.

Departments of industry and trade said that the MoIT did not yet have detailed regulations on the function and duty of trade promotion centres.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Đỗ Thắng Hải said that the MoIT would issue regulations for all localities, and different provinces and cities could apply the regulations flexibly. — VNS