Bac Kan (VNA) – Rich mineral depositsand timber plantation potential of the northern mountainous province of Bac Kanwere highlighted to prospective investors by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc onNovember 19.

Addressing an investment promotion conference in the province, the PM said withlarge deposits of lead, zinc and iron, Bac Kan has a lot of potential formining and constructional material production.

Bac Kan has 38,000ha of large timber plantations of high economic values, hesaid, requesting all ministries and sectors to actively contribute and support theprovince’s economic development efforts.

He also urged local authorities to raise the provincial competitiveness index,which is currently near the bottom of the list of 63 cities and provinces inthe country.

With its determination to boost economic development, the province has achievedinitial successes, PM Phuc said.

He described Ba Be Lake area in Bac Kan as an attractive tourism destinationwith many spectacular caves.

However, the leader said, the province needs to improve its investmentenvironment to attract companies with strong financial potential and highdetermination to boost local production and investment.

He also wanted the province to restructure its demography, reduce populationdensity in certain areas and develop new education models.

At the conference, the provincial authorities called for investments in anumber of fields, enumerating 33 key projects, mainly in infrastructure, agriculture,forestry and tourism.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ly Thai Hai said localauthorities are committed to providing the “highest-level support” toinvestors, in keeping with the Government’s investment incentives.

It would also allocate land for agricultural and forestry projects, includingthose on medicinal plant cultivation, and issue policies easing credit accessand supporting brand promotion, he said.

Hai said he expected the Government to support the province in infrastructuredevelopment, especially the building and upgrading of important roads linkingthe province with other localities in the region.

Currently, the province is seeking investments in building a new NationalHighway 3 stretch linking Cho Moi (Moi market) with Bac Kan city and a 40km roadfrom Quan Binh commune in Bach Thong district to Ba Be Lake, he said.

Hai called on the PM to ask relevant ministries and sectors to study investors’proposals for the construction project on National Highway 3 under theBuild-Operate-Transfer (BOT) investment model.

He also sought approval for raising capital for the road running to Ba Be Lake.

PM Phuc gave a nod to the construction of the Cho Moi-Bac Kan high-speed road.He also assigned the Ministry of Transport to submit a plan for this project,which would be implemented in 2018.

The PM also assigned relevant ministries to consider options for the QuanBinh-Ba Be road.

Ba Be Lake is one of the 20 largest freshwater lakes in the world, but it doesnot have easy transport access, he noted, asking the ministries to activelyseek financial resources for the road.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNguyen Xuan Cuong said his ministry would help people in Bac Kan and itsneighbouring provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son use advanced technologies tocultivate fruits under VietGap standards.-VNA