Jasmine trees help Khmer ethnic people escape from poverty (Photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNA) – A host of solutionsfor the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh to ensure sustainable povertyreduction have been proposed at a seminar on May 16.
The provincial Department of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs suggested implementing lending policies, cuttingtuition fees, granting health insurance, creating more jobs and investing ininfrastructure in poor districts.
Duong Quang Ngoc, Deputy Director of thedepartment, underlined the need for Tra Vinh to raise awareness among the poor,helping them become independent of the support of the State and the community.
Effective poverty reduction models should beduplicated across the province, the official said.
Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc De from theRural Development Department under Can Tho University said farming landaccounts for nearly 80 percent of Tra Vinh’s total area.
However, he said, large-scale production andcapital shortage have hindered local farmers from applying technological andscientific advances.
Moreover, they have to face risks inproduction due to the limited access to market information and impacts ofclimate change, De said, stressing that in 2016, saltwater intrusion destroyednearly 30,000 hectares of rice and 1,273 hectares of crop, and affected morethan 2,700 households.
The Department of Labour, Invalids andSocial Affairs reported that during 2011-2015, nearly 52,000 households in TraVinh escaped from poverty but an additional 14,000 other households slippedinto destitution.
A recent survey reveals that nearly 8,900local households lack capital for production, over 12,000 have no land for cultivationand 2,137 others face the lack of production equipment.
The Khmer ethnic group makes up nearly 32percent of the province’s total population. At the end of 2016, 18,000 out ofmore than 30,000 poor households in Tra Vinh belong to the group.-VNA
