LÂM ĐỒNG – The Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng should build an agricultural wholesale distribution centre together with the private sector to develop its farm processing capacity, Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ has said.

Speaking at a meeting on Thursday with leaders of the Central Highlands Steering Committee, ministries and the province, he said: “Lâm Đồng has effectively developed many different models of agricultural co-operation. Its economic growth, budget collection, development of new rural areas and public spending are higher than the national average.

“The province should attract big investors into agriculture and provide subsidised credit for high-tech agriculture development.

“It should rearrange residential, forestry and agricultural land to ensure effective exploitation of land for production and stabilise the daily life and incomes of local ethnic minorities.

Đoàn Văn Việt, the chairman of the Lâm Đồng People’s Committee, said that in the first six months of this year the province’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) had expanded at 8.5 per cent against its target of 8 per cent.

Its revenues amounted to VNĐ3 trillion (US$133.5 million), a 36 per cent increase year-on-year, he said.

“We expect revenues to be 5 per cent higher than the plan of around VNĐ6 trillion ($267 million).”

Agriculture plays an important role in the provincial economy, and achieved 5.4 per cent growth in the first half of this year with many effective high-tech and collaborative production models, he said.

“Lâm Đồng has 49,000 hectares, or 17.7 per cent of arable land, under vegetables, tea, flowers, coffee, and rice grown using high-technology.”

In terms of production value, high-tech agriculture accounts for 30 per cent of total output and yields 30 per cent profits.

“The province has 14,000 hectares which can yield an income of VNĐ250 – 500 million ($11,000 – 22,000) per hectare per year and 15,000 others which can yield VNĐ500 million – 1 billion ($22,000 – 44,000).”

The province has also focused on developing over half its communes based on the Government’s new rural model and making tourism a key sector.

Tourism has grown at 44 per cent this year.

Lâm Đồng has built the two national tourism spots envisaged in the tourism master plan, Việt said.

The province Party Secretary Nguyễn Xuân Tiến said Lâm Đồng has adopted the Prime Minister’s special mechanism to develop Đà Lạt city, planning for national tourism spots, scrapping income tax for companies building glass and net houses for agriculture, piloting the green urban model and establishing eight high-tech agricultural enterprises.

Đặng Trí Dũng, director of the province Department of Planning and Investment, reported that public spending remains on track and the full year’s plan would be achieved. – VNS