The Central Highlands provinces have allocated nearly 58,000 ha of production and housing land to 140,915 needy households from ethnic minorities in a bid to improve their living conditions and contribute to sustainable poverty reduction in the region, according to the Central Highlands Steering Committee. They have also given 116,470ha of forests to 7,320 ethnic minority households as a source of their livelihood, while helping tens of thousands of local people work in agriculture and forestry businesses. According to the Committee, there are about 31,000 ethnic minority households in the region needing around 17,500 ha of land for production. The Committee has asked localities to continue making plans on farmland allocation under the Prime Minister’s decision on housing and farm land, running water for poor households in ethnic minority-inhabited and specially difficult areas. In addition, the provinces need to effectively implement programs on vocational training and take measures to attract local residents to agriculture and forestry businesses, helping ease pressure of farmland. (vietnamplus.vn Dec 11)
