|
Lam Dong wants more IZ investment
The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is looking to boost investment in industrial zones, according to Lam Dong Industrial Zones Management Board chairman Le Dinh Phuoc.
In the past few years, the provincial industrial zones (IZs) have had difficulty attracting investment due to lack of infrastructure and a dated information campaign, Phuoc acknowledged.
Though plans for the IZs began several years ago, information about the zones only recently began to spread as road work progressed, sites were cleared and incentive policies for investment were offered, he added.
Currently, the province is home to two large IZs, covering about 360ha and containing six industrial complexes, including Phat Chi, Ka Do, Dinh Van, Tan Chau, Loc Phat and Loc Thang.
To date, the two zones Loc Son and Phu Hoi, have attracted 40 projects worth US$91 million as a result of advertising by local authorities. The province has focused on cheap labour costs and simple administrative procedures as selling points.
"The projects most suited for the zones involve agriculture, forestry, bauxite processing, pottery, mining, textiles and garments, and traditional crafts," he noted.
By 2010, Lam Dong plans to open two more IZs, Tan Phu and Dai Lao, which are expected to span 1,000ha, and to have all operating zones fully leased.
To reach the goal, the province will continue to upgrade infrastructure and speed up land clearance and compensation to facilitate investment.
Investors in the zones will receive incentives and support for resettlement, labour training, banking and other services from local authorities.
Provincial authorities expected that domestic and foreign investors would soon begin to view the province as an ideal for industrial production, said Phuoc. He said that such investment over the next two years would help raise the ratio of industries to 23-24 per cent of the economic structure, up from the current 17-18 per cent.
VNS
|
