A fishing village on the Mekong River in An Giang Province’s Chau Doc Town. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

Provinces in the Mekong Delta region aim to generate US$15 billion from exports in 2017, surging 9.4 per cent from the previous year, according to the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region.

To reach the goal, the provinces plan to accelerate trade and investment promotion and seek new export markets for their agricultural goods.

Top priorities will also be given to changing the structure of exports towards high-value goods, applying advanced science-technology while reducing exports of low-value farm produce, the committee said, adding that provinces will also speed up administrative reforms to better facilitate businesses and support them in fostering technical innovations to improve production capacities.

Localities with large export turnovers, such as Long An, Tien Giang, Can Tho, and Dong Thap, will hold dialogues between leaders and enterprises to solve difficulties in capital, policies and markets.

Last year, provinces in the region earned $13.7 billion from exports, up 7.4 per cent year-on-year. The major export commodities included seafood, rice, processed food, garment and textile, footwear, and handicraft.

Several regional localities recorded high export value in 2016, including Long An with $6.6 billion; Tien Giang ($3.3 billion); Can Tho ($1.4 billion) and Dong Thap ($1.2 billion).

The Mekong Delta region comprises Can Tho city and 12 provinces – An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long. The region has advantages in agriculture, seafood farming and fruit. — VNS