The southern central province of Binh Thuan has taken a number of concrete measures to facilitate the development of agricultural farms to fully tap the local potential for agricultural production, a local official said.

These efforts include providing incentives in land use rights, increasing access to loans, and applying more technology in farming. The province has planned training courses to improve understanding and skills among farm owners.

According to Pham Huu Thu from the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, around 700 farms engaging in both cultivation and animal breeding have been counted in the province as of May this year.

The farms generated a combined more than 950 billion VND (44.4 million USD) in revenues in 2014, creating jobs for thousands of local residents.

The production model has contributed to restructuring agricultural production and accelerating modern rural building in the province, Thu added.

Farmer Lam Van Hien from northern Ham Thuan district earns hundreds of millions of VND per year from his five-ha farm, which grows fruits including mango and dragon fruit. He raises chickens in the garden and breeds fish in a 30,000 sq. metre pond.

Official statistics show that Binh Thuan is enjoying average annual growth of 11.6 percent.

In 2014, its per capita income reached 1,656 USD, a 12.7-fold increase from 1991. Domestic budget revenue totalled 4,000 billion VND (184.3 million USD) compared to 140 billion VND in 1993.-VNA