National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân Meeting with local authorities in Bạc Liêu Province yesterday during her working trip to the province. – VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

BẠC LIÊU – Bạc Liêu Province should pay more attention to the development of wind power to become the first to capitalise on the clean source of energy in the southwestern region, advised National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân. 

Meeting with local authorities yesterday during her working trip to the province, the top legislator praised local development and acknowledged the Mekong Delta province’s difficulties such as weak socio-economic infrastructure and climate change impacts. 

She said a national highway is planned to reach Cần Thơ City by 2021 and Bạc Liêu Province after that, suggesting the province upgrade current roads to ensure traffic safety while waiting for the new route. 

Ngân recommended the local authorities closely follow the Party’s guidelines and Government’s policies and resolution on economic development, particularly with regard to the private sector. 

Bạc Liêu Province should capitalise on its potential for growth and encourage the private sector to do better in the fields of their strength like aquatic farming and fruit tree planting. 

Highlighting its potential for sea tourism and long-time practice of the art of Đờn ca tài tử (southern folk music), she said the province should combine economic development and the preservation of traditional values. 

Regarding the fact that the province has 16 out of 49 communes meeting the standards for new-style rural areas, Ngân stressed it did not need to complete the rural building work one year ahead of schedule. 

Apart from infrastructure construction, creating livelihoods for residents via facilitating the establishment of local businesses would also be needed, she said. 

The NA chief said Bạc Liêu Province should set a goal to reduce its poverty rate to 3 per cent from the current 8.43 per cent, with attention paid to the rate of households becoming poor again after escaping poverty and the implementation of preferential policies targeting ethnic people and those living in mountainous and remote areas. 

Local economic development must take into consideration people’s benefits, she said, asking the authorities to boost communications campaigns to raise public awareness of the Party’s policies and the State’s laws. 

The same day, Ngân paid a visit to the high-quality shrimp farming complex of the Việt – Australia Seafood Corporation, which spans 315 ha in Hiệp Thành Commune, Bạc Liêu City.

It is set to become a concentrated material area for production and processing for export, contributing to turning Bạc Liêu Province into a hub of Vietnam’s shrimp industry. 

The NA Chairwoman also visited a coastal wind power plant in Vĩnh Trạch Đông Commune, Bạc Liêu City, the biggest energy project in the locality.

The plant became operational in early 2018 with a total capacity of 99.2 MW. As part of her working visit to Bạc Liêu, Ngân visited and gifted local policy beneficiary families. – VNS