The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to allocate 1,400 tonnes of rice seeds, 267 tonnes of corn seeds and 13.7 tonnes of vegetable seeds to five provinces severely affected by droughts and storms last year.

Under Decision No 182/QD-TTg issued on February 3, 2015, Lang Son will receive 200 tonnes of rice seeds, 100 tonnes of corn seeds and three tonnes of vegetable seeds; Quang Tri will get 100 tonnes, 70 tonnes and 8 tonnes of the seeds, respectively); Phu Yen- 600 tonnes, 55 tonnes and 1.5 tonnes; Khanh Hoa -300 tonnes, 12 tonnes and 1.2 tonnes; and Ninh Thuan – 200 tonnes of rice seeds and 30 tonnes of corn seeds.

The northern mountainous province of Lang Son was among the worst hit by Storm Rammasun last July, while Storm Sinlaku swept through the central region in November, causing serious damage to Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces.

Quang Tri and Ninh Thuan provinces in the central region suffered from severe droughts in 2014.-VNA