Harvesting shrimp for export at a plant in Kiên Giang Province. VNA/VNS Ngọc Hải

KIÊN GIANG  —  The Mekong province of Kiên Giang is taking steps to promote exports to compensate for damages caused by the effects of COVID-19 and saline intrusion.

The province’s Agriculture Department has been asked to prepare for the summer – autumn and autumn – winter crops and for aquaculture activities, especially shrimp breeding in brackish water, to supply shrimp to the local market and to shrimp processing exporters.

Banks in Kiên Giang have launched preferential credit packages for enterprises that process products for export.  Agencies in the province have also launched promotion programmes to seek markets globally and have provided support to enterprises for imports and exports of materials and machinery and equipment.

The province is increasingly using e-commerce to promote business information and online business services, and to advertise products.

Exporters aim to find new markets to replace traditional markets, and will seek more opportunities to export rice and seafood, the two major products of Kiên Giang.

According to the Kiên Giang Department of Trade and Industry, the province attained total import – export value of US$63.8 million in May, an increase of 37.6 per cent compared with April.

This included exports of US$35.6 million (up by 77.4 per cent) and US$21.7 million in seafood exports.

For the first five months, Kiên Giang reported export turnover of US$271.6 million, up by 4.6 per cent and accounting for 34.8 per cent of 2020 plan.

Ngô Công Tước, director of Kiên Giang Department of Trade and Industry, said export revenue of all products, especially rice, was higher than sales recorded in April. He said rice export revenues rose significantly as exporters in Kiên Giang had signed many new contracts for rice exports.

Many companies from American and European markets have maintained imports from Việt Nam, especially food and foodstuffs, and processed and canned food, according to Tước.

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, exports of Việt Nam’s goods face challenges as purchasing power has dropped in countries hit hard by the pandemic.

However, there are opportunities for Kiên Giang products as China and other countries are expected to promote import of goods once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. — VNS