Zone to enhance ASEAN trade

[phanthach]

BINH PHUOC — President Nguyen Minh Triet inaugurated a new joint checkpoint at the Hoa Lu International Border Gate in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on Saturday and attended a ceremony to publicise the construction of the Hoa Lu Border-gate Economic Zone (BEZ) in the province.

The ceremonies were attended by the Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam On, and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong.

The joint checkpoint is part of the master plan to develop the Hoa Lu BEZ to 2025. Its main functions include quarantining livestock and fresh agricultural produce, checking goods brought into and taken out of the country, and controlling the movement of people and goods through the border area, according to Nguyen Van Loi, deputy chairman of the Binh Phuoc People's Committee and head of the BEZ's management board.

Loi said the BEZ would spur economic growth in the southern province and strengthen trade links between Viet Nam and Cambodia as well as other ASEAN countries.

The BEZ, which is 150km from HCM City and 300km from Phnom Penh, is designed to serve as a commercial, industrial and service centre for Binh Phuoc Province, helping it become an important transport hub for the region.

He said Hoa Lu BEZ was expected to have a population of 80,000-100,000 people in 2015, with another 30,000 by 2025.

The zone is connected to north Cambodia, southern Laos and northeastern Thailand with National Highway No13 and a rail route soon to be built.

The highway and the trans-Asian Highway will also connect the BEZ's different functional areas.

Investment projects on technical infrastructure development would be prioritised to expand National Highway 13, build water and power supply stations as well as sewage treatment plants, he added.

Deputy PM Trong praised the province's efforts in developing a master plan for the construction of Hoa Lu BEZ.

Trong asked the economic zone's management board to closely follow global trends while promoting economic development in Viet Nam and the ASEAN region. He also called for the rapid development of tourism services in the border gate area.

Trong stressed the importance of human resource development, saying it would be a key element in the success of planned developments.

The construction of the BEZ would play an important role in strengthening the ties of friendship between Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, he added.

Trong also asked authorities to pay heed to improving the living standards of local residents, especially ethnic minorities.

Covering 28,364ha in Loc Ninh District, Hoa Lu BEZ has so far attracted hundreds of billions of dong in investment from more than 60 businesses.

Bio-ethanol

President Triet opened a US$80 million bio-ethanol plant in Minh Hung Commune, Binh Phuoc Province's Bu Dang District's also on Saturday.

The ceremony saw the presence of deputy PM Trong and Binh Phuoc leaders.

Speaking at the ceremony, Triet highly praised the plant's construction. It will play an important role in developing the economy of the province and the country.

The factory is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the environment, generate jobs and increase farmers' incomes and boost local economic development.

He noted the investor also needed to ensure the progress of construction.

The 40ha plant with an annual design capacity of 100 million litres of ethanol is invested in by Japan's ITOCHU Group, the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the LICOGI 16 Company.

The factory is forecast to use about 240,000 tonnes of cassava per year as raw material. It will promote the development of the provincial agricultural sector, bringing economic benefits to local cassava farmers.

The project lies within the Petrol Vietnam's programme on carrying out bio-fuel projects with the aim of deploying the ‘Project Proposal for Bio-fuel Development to 2015 with a Vision to 2025' approved by the Prime Minister.

The ethanol manufactured by the plant will be mixed with the petrol manufactured by the Dung Quat Oil Refinery for sale in the market. — VNS