Oxfam, a U.K. non-governmental organization, will support economic development for ethnic people and poor women in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and help develop trademarks for local farm produce. This was the focus of a working session between representatives of Oxfam UK and the Lao Cai Investment-Trade-Tourism Promotion Centre on June 22, where the two sides discussed cooperative programs to collect information and assess the local market as well as the market accessibility of ethnic people and poor women. They also stressed the need to strengthen communication in order to promote consumption and trademarks of Lao Cai agricultural products. After the working session, the Oxfam delegation plans to work with the provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade to build investment promotion programs. As a development and humanitarian aid organization, Oxfam UK has operated in Vietnam since 1990 and in Lao Cai province since 1991, focusing on poverty reduction and targeting ethnic minority people and women.
