President Trần Đại Quang meets local authorities of the central province of Phú Yên yesterday. — VNVNA/S Photo Nhan Sáng

PHÚ YÊN – President Trần Đại Quang suggested the central province of Phú Yên continuously expand industry and construction, as determined in its economic restructuring plan developed for this year.

He heard that in the first six months of this year, industry and construction grew to account for 36.1 per cent of the southern central coastal province’s economy during a working session with local authorities yesterday.

Noting the locality’s advantageous 200km coastline, the President advised the authorities to turn tourism into a spearhead sector, through broader connectivity with other regional localities.

The locality should give more support to small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as handicraft production facilities and trade villages and speed up the construction of transport infrastructure, he said.

Phú Yên should exert more efforts to make Nam Phú Yên economic zone one of the major industrial centres and sea ports in the southern central and Central Highlands regions, the leader stressed.

He encouraged the application of scientific and technological advances into increasing the quality of agro-forestry and fishery products and the development of value chains, initially in the fishing of tuna.

Besides investing more in agriculture and rural areas in line with the building of new-style rural development, Phú Yên should also mobilise resources for the construction of irrigation and water supply systems serving production and daily use, especially in areas affected by drought and saltwater intrusion, he added.

President Quang asked Phú Yên to pay heed to building a transparent, effective and friendly political system and modern administration, while continuing to realise the Party’s resolutions on Party building and studying and following President Hồ Chí Minh’s moral example.

The province should also strengthen communication work on the protection of national sovereignty over sea and islands, associating it with the implementation of projects to upgrade offshore fishing boats and fishery logistics ships.

Phú Yên recorded a GDP growth of 8.4 per cent in 2015 and 7.9 per cent in the first six months of this year.

The locality’s average per capita income reached VNĐ32.8 million (US$1,467) in 2015.

Ethnic minority groups have been offered effective support policies, while social security and defence have been ensured.

During the working session, Phú Yên leaders proposed that the Government design specific support policies for the province to attract more investments and help local fishermen engage more in the protection of sea and islands.

They also asked for more assistance in implementing defence-security projects in line with socio-economic development, as well as more central investments in climate change response and natural disaster prevention and relief. — VNS