Organisations support farmers affected by drought

Hanoi (VNA) – A number of organisations signed a joint action programme in Hanoi on May 19 to support farmers affected by drought, saltwater intrusion, and massive seafood death.

The signatories include the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee along with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Vietnamese Farmers Association, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Association of Vietnamese War Veterans, the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vietnam Fisheries Association.

President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said with the goal of strengthening a closer and more effective coordination, the involved parties agreed to directly support 450,000 households with 1.8 million people who are suffering from water shortages.

Due to massive fish deaths in central provinces, 12,500 fishing boats have yet to head back out to sea, affecting 63,000 fishermen, he said, adding that the Government has put forth a programme to assist locals with rice, money and loans.

In the next three or four months, it is urgent to help 6,000 households buy social insurance cards and enable their children to go to school, he said, adding that this requires close coordination between relevant agencies.

Accordingly, the involved parties will mobilise necessary financial resources in June 2016 and transfer the money to support the affected localities next month, he said.

The action programme aims to supply fresh water for around 45,000 families affected by saltwater encroachment in the Mekong Delta, and drought in the Central Highlands and south central region, while purchasing health insurance cards for around 6,000 underprivileged households affected by massive fish deaths in central provinces.

The involved parties will also inspect the delivery of the State’s urgent assistance to fishermen in central Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue provinces in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision 772/QD-TTg issued on May 9, 2016.-VNA