Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a financial support package of VND 234.5 billion (USD11.2 million) to help farmers adversely affected by drought and saltwater intrusion.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a financial support package of USD11.2 million to help farmers adversely affected by drought

Binh Dinh Province has suffered from one of the most severe recorded droughts, as many rivers and streams have dried up. According to the provincial People’s Committee, in the first six months of the year, the province had almost no rain, and 123 out of 165 reservoirs have run out of water, causing immense agricultural damage.

Quang Tri Province has also been hit hard. The water level of rivers, streams and canals in the province have sharply dropped, and cannot meet the demand of farmers. It is estimated that 15,000 ha of rice in Quang Tri are in dire need of water.

The drought has affected farmers in 14 provinces, who suffered from crop losses in the winter-spring and summer-autumn seasons.

Farmers in the central province of Quang Ngai will receive the highest level of support, with VND23.4 billion, followed Dong Thap with VND21 billion, Long An VND21.2 billion.

Other localities, including Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Can Tho will also receive aid.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, the average rainfall in many localities has been lower than previous years. Meanwhile, salt intrusion has been also been a problem, particularly in the Mekong delta.