MARD gives financial support to drought, salinity recovery
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will provide financial support for localities in the Mekong Delta regions which have been affected by acute drought and salt intrusion.
Accordingly, each hectare of rice suffering 70% loss or greater will be subsidised by VND2 million (US$90), while VND1 million (US$45) will be given to each hectare with 30-70% damage.
Local authorities are being urged to use local budgets to repair damages caused by drought and salt intrusion while waiting for capital disbursement from the central budget.
In mid-February, saltwater intrusion left negative impacts on nearly 60,000 hectares of shrimp-rice farms in Kien Giang province, 30,000 hectares of which were destroyed. Meanwhile, over 32,000 hectares of autumn-winter crops in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces were badly hit by drought and salt intrusion.
In the long-term, the ministry will prioritise the construction of facilities to cope with drought and salt intrusion and complete an irrigation system management project for rural development in the region.