Farmers till the soil to sow the 2021-22 winter-spring rice in Kiên Giang Province’s Châu Thành District. — VNA/VNS Photo

KIÊN GIANG — Kiên Giang Province is scrambling to achieve socio-economic growth in the remaining months of the year to achieve 6.02 per cent growth for 2022.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has been developing a sustainable marine economy in recent years by increasing output and value.

The marine economy now accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the province’s economy.

The province has invested in infrastructure such as the Phú Quốc international airport, coastal roads in rural areas, coastal erosion-prevention works, and supplying power to islands.

It has also built sluice systems that help regulate saltwater and freshwater in coastal areas.

In recent years the province has developed offshore fishing and aquaculture in coastal areas, and increased the annual catch to 500,000-600,000 tonnes and aquaculture output to more than 315,000 tonnes.

The province accounts for 16 per cent of the country’s catch.

According to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phú Quốc City, Kiên Hải island district, the island commune of Tiên Hải in Hà Tiên City, and Sơn Hải and Hòn Nghệ in Kiên Lương District will focus on farming grouper, cobia, yellow-fin pompano, seabass, blue lobster, mantis shrimp, crab, and oyster for pearl.

Coastal areas in Hà Tiên City and Kiên Lương, Hòn Đất, An Minh, and An Biên districts will create zones for farming molluscs such as blood cockles, saltwater mussels, green mussels, and oysters.

Authorities will focus on high-tech aquaculture, development of quality staples with high economic value and measures to prevent illegal fishing.

For rice farming, the department will guide farmers in caring for and preserving the grain to minimise losses and teach them how to cope with natural disasters.

The country’s largest rice growing province eyes a total production of 4.4 million tonnes this year.

More farmers who have pooled lands to form large-scale rice fields have contracts with companies to secure outlets and use advanced techniques to increase yield and quality.

In the industrial sector, in the first eight months, the province’s production was estimated at VNĐ36.162 trillion (US$1.59 billion), or 70.8 per cent of the target.

Exports are estimated at $558.9 million, up 16.7 per cent year-on-year.

Lâm Huỳnh Nhân, deputy director of the province's Department of Industry and Trade, said the province will continue to closely monitor the production situation in the area. In industries such as cement, agro-fisheries processing, footwear, and garment to promptly resolve difficulties businesses face. VNS