The localities, spanning from the central province of Thanh Hoa to the southernmost province of Ca Mau, will each get between VND 6.1 billion (US$ 286,700) and VND 17.6 billion (US$ 827,200), sourced from 2014’s State budget reserves.
Scorching heat between March and August in 2014 severely affected farming activity in the central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department, in the south-central region and the Central Highlands , rainfall levels dropped 50-90 percent in the first three months compared to that of the previous year. Meanwhile, water levels in reservoirs reached only 60-70 percent of their designed capacity.
In Dak Lak province, drought caused damage to more than 5,500ha, including 4,000 ha of rice and 450 ha of coffee, causing VND 93 billion (US$ 4.4 million) in damages.
In Dak Nong province, it wreaked havoc on 240ha of rice and 1,860ha of coffee and other crops in Krong No district, while seriously affecting other districts.
In another move, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Finance to provide 1,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserves to the northern province of Lang Son, which was hard hit by Kalmaegi typhoon in last September, with a massive area of crops devastated.
The storm caused huge economic losses and seriously affected agriculture and aquaculture farming in the localities it swept through.
