Clearly defining that industry is an important breakthrough stage as stated in the resolution of the 12th Bac Kan Provincial Party Congress (2020-2025), the Department of Industry and Trade has made efforts to advise the Provincial People's Committee to ask the Provincial Party Committee to issue Resolution 16-NQ/TU dated August 12, 2021 on Bac Kan industrial development in 2021-2025, with an eye to 2030; submitted to the Provincial People's Committee to ratify the Bac Kan Processing Industry Development Project to 2025 and further to 2030; and launched various trade promotion activities to match supply and demand sides, thus enabling the very robust development of local businesses and industries. Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter has an interview with Mr. Ha Sy Thang, Director of Bac Kan Department of Industry and Trade, on this issue.
The booth to introduce vermicelli noodles of Bac Kan province at the week “of vermicelli and OCOP products of Bac Kan province” held in Hai Phong city
Industry is one of important breakthrough stages stated in the Resolution of the 12th Provincial Party Congress (2020-2025). How has Bac Kan industry made breakthroughs?
In two years (in 2021, 2022), due to the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak that affected most production sectors, with the participation of all levels of authority, sectors and localities and the active production of industrial companies, Bac Kan industry managed to maintain its growth momentum. The industrial production value rose 8% year on year to VND1,441 billion in 2021 and climbed 10.1% to VND1,586.4 billion in 2022. Up to 97.68% of households have access to national electricity.
The industrial structure has shifted towards a positive direction: The share of processing industry rose from 33.35% in 2020 to 35.1% in 2022 while the share of mining industry contracted from 50.7% in 2020 down to 49.7% in 2022. The growth was boosted by agricultural, forest and mineral processing industries. Specifically, plywood output reached 113,444 cubic meters, equal to 141.8% of the target. Glass noodle output was 1,500 tons, equal to 103.5% of the plan. Lead output was estimated at 13,600 tons, or 136% of the plan.
Currently, Bac Kan province has six industrial zones with a total area of 218.4 ha, including three invested by the government and three invested by companies. These facilities will attract more industrial companies and create breakthroughs in local industrial development in the coming time.
How has the industry and trade sector tapped the potential of hydropower, wind power and biomass power?
Bac Kan has many large rivers such as Cau River, Nang River and Bac Giang River and some streams with relatively large water reserves and strong currents. This is a huge resource for developing small and medium hydropower projects.
In the past time, the industry and trade sector advised the Provincial People's Committee to make a plan for development of 18 small and medium hydropower plants, with a combined capacity of 90 MW, including five operational plants with a total installed capacity of 21.6MW, which meet about 25% of the province's electricity demand. Nine other projects with a total capacity of 48.3MW have been licensed and four projects with a total capacity of 20.1MW are yet to be granted investment licenses.
In addition, the Department of Industry and Trade advised the Provincial People's Committee to send a written request to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to consider and approve the addition of 10 wind power projects with a capacity of about 1,420MW, two biomass power projects with a capacity of about 80MW and a solar power project with a capacity of about 100MW to the national electricity development planning period in 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.
In the coming time, if these projects are added to the national plan, they will meet the province's economic development requirements and can provide more power for the national grid system.
Pac Cap Hydropower Project has been put into commercial operation since September 2021 and generated more than 6 million kWh of electricity so far
What are the solutions for improving the "Business Support Services" Subindex assigned to the department in a bid to successfully carry out the Project to upgrade the business investment environment and raise the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) of Bac Kan in 2022-2025?
On April 14, 2022, the Bac Kan Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Industry and Trade in accordance with Decision 594/QD-UBND on announcement of the Project to improve the business investment environment and raise the PCI Index in the 2022 - 2025 period: “Carrying out trade promotion, connecting supply and demand; supporting enterprises to organize or participate in trade fairs and exhibitions, boosting association and cooperation to expand commodity distribution channels". The industry and trade sector has focused on implementing the following tasks and solutions:
(1) Continue to work with relevant departments and branches to organize and support trade promotion, introduce agricultural, forest and aquatic products; facilitate enterprises and producers to expand consumption markets with specific activities:
- Informing and organizing provincial trade promotion such as the promotion event for fragrant zucchini and OCOP products linked with experience tourism in Bac Kan province in 2022; Ethnic cuisine festival and OCOP agricultural product show at the Ba Be Tourism - Cultural Heritage Week in 2022.
- Promptly informing enterprises, cooperatives, production and business facilities in the province to actively participate in domestic and foreign trade fairs and exhibitions; promote, connect and support OCOP products and other typical products of the province on international and domestic e-commerce platforms.
(2) Strengthening coordination with responsible sectors and localities in trade and service development by expanding markets, trade centers and supermarkets.
In particular, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Department of Industry and Trade worked with relevant bodies to support e-commerce capacity building by applying digital technology and sending businesses and products to e-commerce platforms. In 2022, the department chose Tai Hoan Cooperative and Tan Thanh Agricultural Cooperative to join Alibaba, an international e-commerce platform. At the same time, the two cooperatives selected 50 typical products of Bac Kan province (priority was given to local OCOP products) that met entry criteria on prestigious domestic e-commerce platforms such as Sendo and Shopee.
(3) Continuing to advise the Provincial People's Committee to enhance competitiveness, create a favorable business and investment environment for enterprises, develop human resources for exporters; encourage the development of new products by tapping local potential advantages; focus on building product brands; introducing and promoting locally typical products at international trade fairs through Vietnamese trade offices/embassies in foreign countries, supporting enterprises to participate in foreign market survey delegations; assisting them to conduct surveys, searches and studies to expand export markets by boosting trade promotion and providing market information. By doing so, the department has helped sharpen corporate competitiveness and provincial competitiveness in the coming time.
Thank you very much!
Ha Thanh (Vietnam Business Forum)
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi