Deputy PM calls for enhanced accountability in restructuring agricultural, forestry enterprises

VIETNAM, April 26 - HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái has asked for accountability to be enhanced to speed up and improve efficiency in restructuring agricultural and forestry enterprises.

At a meeting on Thursday, Khái stressed the determination to achieve the goals of restructuring, renovating and improving operation efficiency of agricultural and forestry enterprises following the Politburo’s Resolution 30-NQ-TW and Conclusion 82-KL/TW.

“Every level must enhance their accountability,” Khái asked.

Statistics show that to date, the Prime Minister approved 40 out of 41 overall restructuring plans of localities. Some 161 out of 256 companies completed their restructuring.

Fifty-seven enterprises and branches in 20 provinces and cities were granted land use right certificates. Eleven out of 45 provinces basically completed the granting of land use right certificates to agricultural and forestry companies.

Notably, some operate efficiently after restructuring in terms of business operation, job creation and rural development, such as Việt Nam Rubber Group and Việt Nam Forest Corporation.

However, there were a number of bottlenecks in the restructuring, causing slow progress and lack of efficiency, Khái said. Ninety-five enterprises had not completed their restructuring.

Khái said that a directive would be enhanced to speed up the restructuring of agricultural and forestry enterprises with specific deadlines set for each ministry, agency, locality, ownership representative and enterprise.

He asked the Ministry of Finance to work with the agriculture ministry to develop support policies for agricultural and forestry enterprises which are dissolved or fall into insolvency.

Localities which have not had their overall restructuring plans approved must complete and submit for approval before June 30.

In addition, the finance ministry was asked to improve the regulations on evaluating asset value of enterprises for privatisation and capital divestment together with the formation of carbon credit trading platform and its financial mechanism for the operation of the carbon market.

Khái asked the State Bank of Việt Nam to provide lending to forestation projects.

Specifically, the Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to speed up the granting of land use right certificates and thoroughly settle existing land disputes, encroachment and improper land use purposes. Cooperation must be enhanced to prevent land disputes and encroachments.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade must work with the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises to approve the restructuring projects of Việt Nam Paper Corporation and Việt Nam Coffee Corporation which will serve as base to implement the restructuring of their member agricultural and forestry companies.

Among 161 companies which completed the restructuring out of a total of 256 agricultural and forestry enterprises in Việt Nam, 76 implemented restructuring but maintained the model of a limited liability company with the State holding 100 per cent of charter capital, 54 were privatised, 22 were converted into limited liability companies with 2 or more members, 3 were transformed into forest management boards and six were dissolved. — VNS