On May 13, Ca Mau Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Ho Hai led a working delegation to inspect the operation of Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agricultural Zone for Shrimp Development in Hiep Thanh ward, Ca Mau province. The delegation was also attended by Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Council Pham Van Thieu, Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Su and leaders of many related departments and agencies.
Reporting to the working delegation, Mr. Pham Hoang Minh - Director of the Management Board of Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agriculture Zone for Shrimp Development - said that in 2020, the province selected 9 businesses in 4 fields to invest in this zone. However, after many years of waiting, some businesses have withdrawn or switched directions to find other investment locations due to slow project implementation.
Many remaining businesses only maintain temporary production activities outside, waiting to complete the conditions to be officially invested in the high-tech park. According to the Management Board, the biggest difficulty currently is legal procedures related to land and operating mechanisms.
Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agricultural Zone for Shrimp Development was established under Decision No. 694/QD-TTg dated May 24, 2017 of the Prime Minister, with the orientation of becoming a center for research, demonstration, technology transfer and development of modern shrimp industry value chains for the Mekong Delta region and the whole country.
However, to date, after nearly a decade of implementation, this area has not yet been able to operate as expected. Hundreds of hectares of land in the planned area continue to be vacant, and many investment items have not been effective.
According to the Management Board, previously, the type of land used for high-tech agriculture had not been approved by the Prime Minister for land use targets, causing the old Bac Lieu province not to have sufficient legal basis to allocate land to businesses for investment. Only when the 2024 Land Law took effect did the related legal conditions gradually be removed.
The high-tech zone currently operates under the model of a non-business unit, so it does not have full functions like an economic zone or an industrial zone. This leads to many limitations in advising, issuing investment policies, as well as attracting businesses.
The Management Board of Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agriculture Zone for Shrimp Development proposed that the People's Committee of Ca Mau province soon approve the list of investment calls so that businesses can deploy construction immediately in the dry season; allocate funds to invest in equipment for the Testing Center and the Center for High-Tech Agricultural Research; and at the same time issue a policy to consolidate the organizational structure within the Management Board.
Regarding infrastructure, phase 1 of the project has been completed with a total budget of more than 152 billion VND from the provincial budget. Phase 2 is being invested from the capital of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment with a total budget of about 186 billion VND.
After listening to reports and opinions from departments and branches, Ca Mau Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Ho Hai requested the Provincial People's Committee to direct the Provincial Inspectorate to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agricultural Zone for Shrimp Development.
Ca Mau Provincial Party Secretary requested that the inspection must be implemented urgently, with conclusions in the third quarter of 2026 to serve as a basis for comprehensive assessment of existing shortcomings, limitations, related responsibilities as well as propose appropriate handling directions in the coming period.
According to leaders of Ca Mau province, after merging the province, the locality is conducting a review and consolidation of the management apparatus, and at the same time completing legal procedures to unlock investment resources for this once highly anticipated project.
Previously, Lao Dong Newspaper had repeatedly reflected the slow implementation situation at the Bac Lieu High-Tech Application Agricultural Zone for Shrimp Development, when the project lasted for many years but could not be put into operation, causing waste of land fund and affecting the goal of developing the local high-tech shrimp industry.
