Poverty reduction policies prove effective
Poverty reduction efforts during the 2005-2012 period produced positive outcomes across Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
A MARD report to an inspection team from the National Assembly said from 2009 to June 2013, the country generated jobs for nearly 5 million rural workers with a majority of 96% working at home.
More than 1.4 million people benefited from the Government’s scheme to provide vocational training for rural workers. Nearly 80% of the beneficiaries secured new jobs or maintained their current ones with higher income and productivity.
Many poor households in rural areas have been equipped with farming techniques and a better understanding of the importance of forest protection, the ministry told the inspection team of the National Assembly Standing Committee at a February 12 working session in Hanoi.
Latest statistics showed the poverty rate, under national poverty line, dropped from 58.1% in 1993 down to 14.8% in 2007 and 7.8% in 2013.
Due to its achievements in poverty reduction, Vietnam was among 38 countries honoured by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in June last year.