than the regional average of 10.8 million. The economy has been the fastest growing in the South Central Coast with an average yearly growth of almost 14% from 2000 to 2007, with growth of all three sectors of the economy significantly exceeding the regional average. Agriculture, forestry and fishing had an average growth of 7.4%, industry 21.6%, and services 15.4%. Agriculture, forestry, fishing Bình Thuận is a relatively large producer of rice. 434,600 t were harvested in 2007. This is a significant increase from 2000 (321,500 t), although the area used for growing rice did not increase significantly (93,100 ha to 96,400 ha). Roughly one third of the province's agricultural land is used to cultivate rice, less than many other provinces. Bình Thuận has increased the area used for some crops significantly over the last few years, including rubber, pepper and cashew nuts, while cultivation of sugar-cane and sweet potatoes has been shrinking. There are large fishing grounds off the coast of Bình Thuận and around Phú Quý island, including shrimp, squid, and tuna. However, their contribution to the local economy is relatively small compared to agriculture. Forestry has made a very small contribution to the economy of the province and its growth has been slow from 2000 to 2007. The largest increase has actually been in forest cultivation rather than exploitation of forest products. Industry Bình Thuận's industry has been booming in the first years of the 21st century, with average an average growth rate of 21.6% until 2007. Bình Thuận's industrial development is currently facing problems of land management. Licensed industrial parks have been found to overlap with titanium reserves and their development may be delayed as a result. The province has seen a decline in state industry from 2000 to 2007. The private sector now makes up most of industrial output and even the foreign-invested sector has overtaken state-owned industry. Despite its spectacular growth, industry was not able to absorb much of the growth of the labour force. It created 17,200 new jobs between 2000 and 2007, while the slower growing service sector created 44,100 and even agriculture, forestry and fishing created 57,600 jobs. Mining Bình Thuận mine Infrastructure Transport Bình Thuận is located along Vietnam's main north-south transport corridors. National Route 1 runs through the province, connecting 6 out of the province's 10 districts to the rest of the country. Bình Thuận's main railway station along