KON TUM — National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân has urged the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum to restructure its economy to tap tourism potential.

At a working session with provincial authorities yesterday, Chairwoman Ngân also asked the province to increase information technology use in developing agriculture and to form specialised production zones to develop key agricultural products.

Stressing that the Central Highlands was one among key strategic regions of the country, she instructed the province to continue implementing plans to ensure national defence and security and social order.

The NA leader applauded recent achievements by the province, including a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth of 9.28 per cent last year, surpassing the yearly target.

Apart from rubber and coffee production zones, the province has developed other specialised areas for the cultivation of many kinds of fruits and herbal medicines, which have helped attract investors.

Kon Tum has devised resolutions defining its three key economic zones which attracted 39 investment projects in 2018 with total registered capital in excess of VNĐ508 billion (US$22 million). However, she noted the province still had difficulties, including human resources quality failing to meet development demand and low competitiveness.

Chairwoman Ngân agreed with the province’s proposal to prioritise funds for poor localities along border areas to help them enhance ties with localities of other countries, particularly of Laos and Cambodia.

The top lawmaker stressed it was the State’s policy to encourage co-operation in economic development in border areas and support disadvantaged provinces in carrying out socio-economic development tasks, contributing to improving the living conditions of residents in border areas.

She also agreed with the need to implement key projects to prevent landslides and flood for ethnic minority people living along the Đăk Bla River in Kon Tum.

Kon Tum is a mountainous border province with a total population of 520,000 from 30 ethnic groups. Ethnic minority people make up more than 53 per cent of the population. — VNS