IZs, EZs attract US$4.3 billion in January-May

A view of Dung Quat Economic Zone. More than US$4.3 billion was registered to be poured into industrial zones and economic zones in the first five months of this year. — Photo vtv.vn

Industrial zones (IZs) and economic zones (EZs) attracted 390 foreign-invested projects with a total registered capital of US$4.3 billion in the first five months of this year, according to the latest updates of the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

So far, there have been 9,850 FDI projects in IZs and EZs nationwide with a total registered capital of $195 billion, more than 70 per cent of which has been disbursed.

Besides, a sum worth about VND46 trillion ($1.98 billion) in domestic investment was registered to be poured into 295 projects in IZs and EZs in January-May, bringing the total number of domestic-invested projects to 9,650 with a total registered capital of VND2.3 quadrillion. The disbursement rate of domestic capital was around 45 per cent.

The report of IZs and EZs management board showed that companies in IZs and EZs strove to maintain production and business despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused a year-on-year drop of 8 per cent in the total revenue to $81 billion in the first five months of this year.

However, their export revenue rose by 4 per cent to $58 billion and import revenue by 1.5 per cent ot $47 billion.

Companies in IZs and EZs created more than 3.82 million jobs, nearly 30,000 jobs lower than the end of 2019.

The ministry said that some 120 companies in IZs temporarily halted operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of this year.

As of the end of May, there were 336 IZs founded, 260 of which were in operation with a total area of 68,800 hectares while 76 others were under construction at land clearance stages with a total area of 29,200 hectares.

There were 37 IZs within EZs.

The occupancy rate of IZs was 76.1 per cent.

In addition, 17 coastal economic zones had been founded with a total land and water area reaching more than 845,000 hectares and area for lease reaching 40,000 hectares. — VNS