HÀ NỘI — Authorities in the southern province of Cà Mau should accelerate the administrative reform process and offer the most beneficial policies for investors, business leaders have said.

Cà Mau Provincial People’s Committee on Tuesday held a dialogue with nearly 100 representatives from businesses and co-operatives in the province to detail the province’s socio-economic situation and investment attraction policies as well as to fix difficulties for enterprises.

Many enterprises in the province expressed concerns, proposing that provincial authorities take measures to support firms and remove difficulties in investment, production and business.

Nguyễn Tiến Dũng, a representative from Thuần Nhất Cà Mau Specialties Company Limited suggested that Cà Mau authorities continue implementing supportive policies, especially those relating to financial support for startups.

Huỳnh Thế Giới, representative of Cà Mau Housing Investment and Development JSC, lauded the province’s efforts to improve investment environment and administrative reform, creating favourable conditions for investment projects in the province.

However, he said, there still remained inappropriate policies and regulations related to planning and the implementation procedure of projects, wasting firms’ time and risking a loss of investment opportunities for the province.

Prolonged procedures to grant land use rights for projects and degraded infrastructure also affected investment activities in the province, Giới said.

Nguyễn Đức Nam, representative of Hòa Hiệp Passenger Company, complained about unhealthy competition in passenger transportation in the province, adding that drivers often fight amongst themselves for passengers, causing traffic disorder in the locality.

Nam requested that provincial authorities handle the situation in a timely manner to create a good image of Cà Mau province in the eyes of visitors and guests.

At the conference, leaders of the State Bank branch in Cà Mau, the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Planning and Investment and Department of Natural Resources and Environment listened to businesses’ feedback and proposals on the development of brands and the protection of trademarks.

Firms were also encouraged to step up the fight against fake goods and poor-quality products and to propose preferential mechanisms and policies on land tax, credit loans and investment in the construction of transport infrastructure, as well as handling environmental pollution and better managing construction material prices.

One of the most concerning issues during the meeting was the inventory of shrimp shell in seafood processing factories in Cà Mau, which has the country’s largest shrimp cultivation area. Previously, enterprises could sell shrimp shell for VNĐ20,000 per kilogramme to businesses who buy shells to process shrimp powder, but no one buys them anymore.

Firms attributed the problem to factories’ poor waste treatment and outdated technologies, resulting in a buildup of shrimp shells at many seafood processing factories in the province.

Nguyễn Tiến Hải, Chairman of Cà Mau Provincial People’s Committee requested that the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment work with agencies and enterprises to propose measures to tackle the problems.

Hải said Cà Mau People’s Committee pledged to continue to create favourable conditions and beneficial policies to support investors and businesses.

Up to now, provincial authorities have granted registration certificates to more than 4,600 enterprises, with total registered capital exceeding VNĐ29 trillion (US$1.3 billion).

In the first seven months of this year, there were 317 newly established enterprises with registered capital of nearly VNĐ1.4 trillion. In addition, the province has 164 co-operatives and some 25,000 individual business households. — VNS