Ca Mau Province Wakes up Potential

The Ca Mau People’s Committee was very happy by the interest of enterprises in projects in which the province has been calling for investors, said Duong Tien Dung, Deputy Chairman of the Ca Mau People’s Committee at a forum called Ca Mau – potential and investment opportunities held recently in the province. He added that the province had a policy to narrow the time for grating investment licenses and has been creating favorable conditions for enterprises to implement projects in the province.

Connecting to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in the Mekong Delta River region through three transportation systems of air, road and sea is the advantage of Ca Mau province. Currently, the Ca Mau airport is operating with a daily frequency of two flights from Ho Chi Minh City to the province and from the province to Ho Chi Minh City, creating favorable conditions for trading activities. Apart from being the southernmost province in Vietnam, Ca Mau has a huge potential to develop the economy. The provincial seafood economy tops the country. With 254-kilometres og coast length, a large fishing ground, and a plentiful seafood reservation, Ca Mau has a huge potential for offshore seafood catching. With an aquaculture area of over 264,500 hectares, Ca Mau has huge potential to develop ecological and industrial shrimp on a large scale. Annual seafood exploitative and aquaculture output of the province is estimated at over 350,000 tons, supplying plentiful seafood sources for processing and exporting seafood.

 

Recently, the Vietnamese government has put Ca Mau into the list of 24 provinces nationwide having the strategic economy. Ca Mau has a huge potential to develop tourism thanks to its arenga forest ecosystem and immense indigo forest. Forests in Ca Mau gather a great deal of valuable and rare species of animals and plants. Therefore, forests in Ca Mau are acknowledged as the world biosphere reserves by the UNESCO. Besides, Ca Mau has a coastal and island ecotourism system with many attractive destinations such as Khai Long ground, Hon Khoai and Da Bac islands, and Mui Ca Mau alluvial ground ecotourism area.

 

Addressing the forum of Ca Mau-potential and investment opportunities, Tran Van Bo, Deputy General Director of the Ca Mau Investment & Trading Construction Centre, said that the provincial investment environment over the past time has been improved incessantly, bringing up the provincial’s Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). In 2006, the provincial PCI ranked 57^th among 64 provinces nationwide. In 2008, Ca Mau increased 39 grades to rank 19^th among 63 provinces across the country, proving that Ca Mau’s investment environment upgraded rather well. The province, moreover, has implemented one-door mechanism in grating business registration certificate, tax code, and stamp engraving procedure, simplifying administrative procedures and narrowing the time and difficulties for enterprises; publicize plans, incentive policies, tax reduction, and land rent for enterprises belonging to the list of prioritized investment projects. The provincial finance, banking, post and telecommunication, health services, social culture, and entertainment have developed continually, meeting demands of investors in Ca Mau. 

 

The development potential of Ca Mau province enlarged when key projects in the province received investment from the state for the Ca Mau gas-electricity-nitrogen fertilizer complex, Nam Can port, Ca Mau-Nam Can under Highway 1A upgrade project, and Phung Hiep roadman project. The province is actively carrying out construction of Khanh An industrial park, Ward No. 9 industrial centre, Hoa Trung and Song Doc industrial parks, and Nam Can open economic zone.

 

The province also introduced and called for enterprises and investors to implement 15 projects at the aforementioned forum. Enterprises, however, are unable to make up their minds whether the provincial human resources meet the demand of investors or not. Other investors are interested in Thi Tuong Swamp Ecotourism, U Minh Ha National Park, brick production projects in the province, and other educational projects of high-quality kindergartens and preschool projects. Duong Tien Dung, deputy general director of the Ca Mau People’s Committee was glad to interest enterprises in Phu Yen province and Ho Chi Minh City in projects that Ca Mau province is calling for investors. He also said that Ca Mau province had implemented a policy to narrow the time for granting investment licenses and create favorable conditions for investors. Regarding social and educational projects, the province has a plan for them. At first, the province will grant investment license for investors and in coordination with them to implement site clearance at these projects.

 

Ca Mau province is currently planning 10 new urban areas including land for building kindergartens and preschools. The province has a detailed strategic policy for developing human resources to serve the development demand of investors. The province is investing traffic project linking the Thi Tuong swamp ecotourism and the U Minh Ha national park. The province is seeking approval of the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Department to use medium-height planes in the Ca Mau-Ho Chi Minh City flight route in order to meet the demand of investors and tourists. The Vietnam Civil Aviation Department is dredging a canal leading to the Nam Can port, which is capable of receiving vessels with capacity of 5,000 tons. Ca Mau has a huge potential in investment cooperation, said Vo Quoc Thang, Chairman of the Vietnamese Young Businesspeople Association, adding that investment incentive polices of the province are very attractive and cost-saving. When transportation projects linking the Nam Can port are completed, Can Tho bridge will be the final link, and when the capacity of the Ca Mau airline is raised, the provincial investment environment will be improved considerably.