Viet Nam: Drought-hit farmers urged to shift from rice to other crops
The agriculture ministry has called on central and northern provinces hit by the worst drought in 40 years to encourage a major shift from rice cultivation to drought-resistant crops, reports Vietnam News.
An earlier report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that about 50,000ha of farmland across the country have been rendered barren by the prolonged drought. The ministry's Plant Cultivation Department has asked provincial authorities to provide capital support to compensate for losses suffered by farmers and help them restructure their farming activities.