A farmer on his field in Don Duong district, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. (Source: VNA)Dak Lak (VNA) – A total of 61 communes in the Central Highlands region have met new-style rural area standards, 45 communes of which have been recognised as new-style rural areas, according to the Central Highlands Steering Committee.
The central highlands provinces are giving a push to the construction of new-style rural areas, contributing to changing rural appearance and increasing livelihoods of ethnic minority groups in the region.
Lam Dong province pops up as a sparkling locality in new-style rural area building with 43 communes and a district meeting all the criteria.
The province has mobilised nearly 33.6 trillion VND (1.5 billion USD) for the programme, with just 3.58 trillion VND (158.9 million USD) coming from state budget. The bulk of investment was contributed by local residents, enterprises and other organisations. The efforts have paid off, with stable agricultural growth, improving living conditions for local residents and better ecological environment, among others
Don Duong district in the province became the first locality in the region fulfilling 19 criteria for modern rural area. High-tech production has been applied in over 72 percent of the agricultural land in the district, which helps local farmers earn 150 million VND (6,700 USD) per hectare. Poverty rate in the district has dropped to 1.3 percent and the rate among ethnic minority households stands at only 3 percent.
The Central Highlands region is comprised of five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong.-VNA
