The southern Kien Giang Province needs VND77.5 trillion (US$3.5 billion) to restructure its agricultural, forestry and fishery sector by 2020, its provincial department of agriculture and rural development has said.

The capital is expected to be raised from the state budget, credits and private investments.

The province will spend 42 per cent of the amount to boost agricultural production and 57 per cent on fisheries; the remaining 1 per cent will go to forestry.

Investments will be made in large-scale paddy field programmes, in research and development of new farming techniques, for building the value chain and infrastructure as well as for trade promotions to expand markets and build brands.

Mai Anh Nhin, deputy chairman of Kien Giang Province’s People’s Committee, said the aim is to develop a modern, sustainable and efficient agricultural production that will produce better value-added products, while keeping in mind the increasingly complex climate change.

The province will focus on producing rice, shrimp, fish and livestock, and will use modern technology to develop quality products that can compete in the global market, Nhin said.

Kien Giang is expected to produce 5 million tonnes of rice, 755,500 tonnes of fishery products, 423,000 tonnes of vegetables and develop 7,000 hectares of coconut, 1,200 hectares of pepper and 5,000 hectares of sugarcane by 2020. — VNS