Hundreds of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau have risen out of poverty through access to farming innovations and incentives unveiled in newspapers and magazines distributed free of charge.

The provision of daily and monthly publications to the ethnic, mountainous and especially disadvantaged areas is pursuant to a Prime Ministerial order.

Giang A Sinh - a Mong native from Then Pa village, Ta Leng commune - shared his success story of receiving a government preferential loan which he decided to invest in raising fish, pigs and goats and currently earns over 100 million VND (4,580 USD) per year.

He learnt about the preferential loan policy and farming model all from newspapers.

Even officials and Party members have offered useful production expertise to share with residents.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Pa Vay Su commune, Phong Tho border district Hang A Tua said Vietnam News Agency’s daily Tin Tuc (News) and bilingual editions of the Pictorial Dan toc va Mien nui (Ethnic and Mountainous Regions) have been popular with readers, introducing them to effective farming models and accurate country contexts.

Ma Cang Dinh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Nung Nang commune, Tam Duong district, said more illustrative images should be printed in these editions, making it easier for locals to engage with the publications given the persistently high rates of illiteracy in impoverished and border areas.

Last year, over 1.5 million issues of 24 different papers reached nearly every local commune, according to the provincial Committee for Ethnic Affairs.-VNA