Can Tho: Establishing an agricultural hub in the Mekong Delta - "A multi-service destination"

DNHN - Recently held in the Mekong Delta, the 2023 Annual Economic Forum with the theme "The role of solutions to link, produce, process, and consume agricultural products in the Mekong Delta" included this as one of its topics. On September 15, 2023.

As a result, the Centre will be constructed with the strategic goal of becoming the centre of a modern agricultural economy, with the function of connecting resources for the production, processing, and consumption of agricultural products throughout the entire River Delta region. Cuu Long (Mekong Delta). The formation of the Centre in Can Tho City to create "A multi-service destination" connects three houses: farmers, manufacturers, and export and import businesses.

The Prime Minister issued Decision No. 816/QD-TTg on implementing the Mekong Delta Regional Plan for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, on July 7, 2023. Developing key agricultural value chains through 2025, with an emphasis on developing 8 agricultural focal centres in areas with favourable infrastructure and water resources, per this plan.

The general focal point centre in Can Tho City is linked to the development of logistics services in Hau Giang to complement Can Tho City's role as a regional logistics hub. Construct 7 focal centres with the primary functions of collecting, classifying, and processing agricultural products, including two focal centres in An Giang and Dong Thap associated with freshwater ecological zones (aquaculture, fruit, rice); three focal centres in Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and Soc Trang (fisheries); and two focal centres in Tien Giang and Ben Tre (fruits and vegetables).

As one of Vietnam's seven economic regions, the Mekong Delta region has numerous socioeconomic development potentials and advantages. The Mekong Delta plays a crucial role in politics, economics - society, defence-security, and trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Mekong subregion. The region has a natural area of 39,734 km2 or 12.2% of the country's total area; its population is approximately 18 million, or 19%.

The Mekong Delta's economic scale will reach 970 trillion VND in 2020, accounting for 11.95 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP); the average gross regional product (GRDP) per capita has reached 56.02 million VND per person per year, and the proportion of trained workers has reached 62.8%.

In addition, the Mekong Delta is the country's largest rice granary and fruit and seafood production centre, contributing 31.37 per cent of the agricultural sector's GDP and producing more than 50 per cent of the nation's rice, 65 per cent of its aquaculture output, 70 per cent of its fruit, 95 per cent of its rice exports, and 60 per cent of its exported seafood. It plays a crucial role in ensuring national and export food security.

Mr. Tran Viet Truong, Chairman of the City People's Committee of Can Tho, stated that despite the region's strengths, agriculture in the Mekong Delta still faces many challenges, such as scattered development, small scale, and low economic value; human resources, the rate of trained workers is the lowest compared to other regions of the country, the labour source is not commensurate with the region's role, intra- and inter-regional transport infrastructure is inadequate; and intra- and inter-regional

At the Forum, experts exchanged, shared, and discussed successful project implementation experiences, possible solutions, and measures to organise and deploy from experts, scientists, and professionals. Can Tho City leaders of departments, branches, institutes, schools, businesses, and investors gain experience in implementing key programmes effectively, particularly in the process of forming the Centre linking, producing, processing, and consuming agricultural products in the Mekong Delta?

Devote a great deal of time to evaluating the current state and role of linking, producing, processing, and consuming agricultural products in the Mekong Delta, as well as to determining how to organise effective implementation and promote the role of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta. Linking centre as implemented in Can Tho City.

Uyen Nhi