Nearly 34,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve will be provided to poor people in 11 provinces on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) and the between-crop period, the hardest time of the year for farmers.

Under decision No139/QD-TTg, signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Government would provide needy people in northern provinces of Dien Bien,Son La, Lai Chau and Lao Cai with 5,316 tonnes of rice and central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam and Quang Tri, 28,500 tonnes.

Dung asked the provincial People's Committees to promptly deliver the food aid and report their results to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs./.