President praises An Giang for becoming economic ‘hub'

AN GIANG — President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday congratulated An Giang Province for becoming a key economic hub in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

"You're now leading the nation and the region in rice growing and fresh fisheries breeding," Triet, a member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam's Politburo, told the ninth An Giang Party Congress yesterday.

Triet said that in the last five years, most targets set at the last Provincial Party Congress had been achieved or surpassed.

However, he noted that economic development was not yet sustainable and called for infrastructure development to be sped up to attract more investors and to raise the province's competitive index.

Regarding the next five-year development plan, President Triet urged the province to pay more attention to agriculture and rural development.

He said the application of science and technology in agricultural production could add value to produce.

A political report delivered by the An Giang Party Committee said in the last five years, on average the province recorded annual gross domestic production (GDP) growth of 10.34 per cent against the target of 12 per cent.

Of this, the service sector increased by 13.46 per cent, industry and construction increased by 13 per cent and agriculture by 3.77 per cent.

Per capita income in the period under review increased by 2.5 times the 2005 figure.

The political report said the most striking success in the last five years was the impressive increase in total social investment in the province – VND 87.4 trillion (More than US$5 billion).

Export turnover in the last five years stood at $3 billion against the target of $2.68 billion, three times higher than the 2001-05 plan.

Reviewing the movement to follow President Ho Chi Minh's moral example, the report said much progress had been recorded by many individual and collective role models, particularly among party members.

The An Giang Congress closes today. — vns

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