Ready to Provide Maximum Support for Businesses and Investors

In the period from 2010 to 2012, we organised 21 export promotion events in major markets like the United States, the European Union and Japan, with the participation of 174 enterprises. In addition, the centre also regularly and timely updated information on prices and market developments for businesses. Thanks to the above activities, Ca Mau province's seafood has increasingly affirmed its standing on key markets like the US, Japan and the EU. Shipments to China, South Korea and Australia also rose significantly. The increase of province's export turnover from US$863 million in 2010 to US$910 million in 2012 is the most striking result of export promotion activities in the past three years.

 

In addition, the centre collaborated with functional departments and businesses to organise eight trade fairs and six periods of bringing Vietnamese goods to the countryside; held nine domestic and overseas tourism festivals; and edited, printed and published over 50,000 copies of brochures and CDs promoting Ca Mau tourism. As regards investment promotion, the province did it with the region and the country and combined it with trade and tourism promotion events and online promotion campaigns. In the three years, the provincial government met with over 100 partners and investors which visited the province to study investment opportunities in Ca Mau province. In the period, 55 projects were licensed, with a total registered investment in capital of over VND69,308 billion.

 

To raise the efficiency of supporting businesses, annual promotion plans must be based on reality, follow the province's socioeconomic target programmes, and reflect the demands of businesses. Therefore, when preparing programmes, in addition to collecting opinions of relevant branches, the centre always consults businesses, especially importers and exporters. The centre always provides the most favourable conditions for businesses to participate in programmes, like granting funds for booth registration and helping exporters to post their profile and product information on domestic and international websites. The centre also takes the actual situations of enterprises and investors into account to suggest solutions to the Provincial People’s Committee.

 

Additionally, to deepen and professionalise promotion activities, the centre also pays huge attention to personnel training to enhance the quality of promotional activities.

 

The centre has a close cooperation with the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Investment Promotion Agency, the Southern Foreign Investment Promotion Centre, the Trade & Investment Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City, and other bodies, joining promotion programmes organised by central agencies while exchanging information and coordinating promotion activities. The centre also enlists the assistance of Vietnamese chambers of commerce, embassies and overseas Vietnamese in foreign countries to raise the efficiency and reduce costs for promotion activities in foreign countries.

 

Also, the centre carries out promotional activities by meeting and working with foreign consulate representatives and trade organisations in Ho Chi Minh City, and with foreign guest delegations visiting Ca Mau province to popularise tourism and offer business and investment opportunities.

 

In reality, the result of external investment attraction, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), of Ca Mau province remains quite low in comparison with socioeconomic potential and demand. Ca Mau is far from major economic centres, 350 km from Ho Chi Minh City, and its infrastructure limitations inhibit investors. In recent years, given significantly improved traffic conditions, FDI attraction into the region has increased but it is mainly channelled into adjacent localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, Long An and Vinh Long provinces.

 

To address the above reality and fill the gap with other provinces, the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee has directed its subordinates to build schemes for improvement of provincial competitiveness index (PCI) from now till 2020, with a vision to 2030, with priority given to component indices related to administrative reform and enterprise support. Thereby, the province will show its great determination in improving the business and investment environment in the province. In addition, Ca Mau will accelerate planning and investment of infrastructure in economic zones and industrial zones to have ready land funds for investors.