Gia Lai needs to increase forest coverage: PM

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) addresses the working session with Gia Lai's officials on November 30

He had a working session on November 30 with the province that ranks first in the Central Highlands and third in the country in terms of forest coverage and forms part of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space, the Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The province is projected to accomplish all its set targets, with its GDP growth to reach 8%, and GRDP per capita, VND45.36 million this year.   

It, however, is dealing with declining prices of key farm produce, low human resources quality, and complicated political security and social order.

PM Phuc said the province has built some hi-tech productive production models and achieved encouraging outcomes in constructing new rural areas, generating jobs, and taking care of people’s health and policy beneficiaries.

However, the poverty rate in the province remains high, especially among ethnic minority people. There are some villages where all households are classified as poor, he said.

The province has yet fully tapped potential and advantages of some sectors, such as agriculture while its 4,900 businesses are operating mainly as small and medium-sized ones, he said.

He instructed competent ministries and sector, including the Ministry of Finance, to work with the province in assisting over 100 ethnic households living in landslide and flooding-prone areas in Krong Pa district to move to safer places.

“This is an important work that needs to be promptly done to ensure the life of people living here,” he said.

While approving the province’s goal of balancing its budget, he suggested the locality to focus on high-tech farm and forestry processing; tourism service; and developing a selected industry based on its comparative advantage like wind and solar energy or processing industry for its future socio-economic development.

He asked the province to drastically improve its business environment, sharpen its competitiveness, and assist business development. “Each office, district, and commune needs to work harder, especially in tackling difficulties to make it easier for businesses to promote production and tap the province’s strengths.”

He also asked the locality to continue reforming administrative procedures, and tapping its land resources and position as the centre of the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle. 

Gia Lai needs to draw high-tech projects into agriculture and make the best use of its advantageous tourism features to create jobs for local people, he said.