The Hanoi People's Committee has decided to develop specialisedagriculture production zones this year under the management of ruraldistricts with an estimated expenditure of 64 billion VND (2.9 millionUSD).

According to a policy issued to encourage thedevelopment of such zones, financial assistance to develop specialisedagriculture production zones will be granted to domestic enterprises,households, individuals, farms and cooperatives who are committed toproducing or consuming seedlings, livestock and aquatic breeds that meetstandards set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Financial support to change breeding, planting, and livestockstructures and to build ample infrastructure for expanding agricultureproduction will be allocated from district budgets.

For developing seedlings and aquatic breeding, district budget will bear50 percent of the cost for buying breeds for the first time. It willalso provide 20 percent of the cost for the first-time procurement oforchid and lily varieties by implanting living tissues.

The district budget will bear 50 percent of the disease preventioncost in the first year and 30 percent in the second year, which willinclude medicine, labour cost, and money for hiring machines. Thefinancial assistance will cover 70 percent of the expenditure for plantprotection in the first year and 50 percent in the following year, ifthey use finished biological products or products that originate frombiological products to ensure disease prevention in the production ofsafe vegetable, fruits, and tea.

It will alsosupport 50 percent of the cost of chemicals that will be used forsterilising and detoxifying ponds for aquatic products in the first yearand 30 percent in the second year.

One-timefinancial assistance for drilling wells for irrigation, with maximum 10million VND (460 USD) per hectare, will also be allotted from districtbudget.

It will also support 50 percent of theexpenditure for buying oxygen enrichment equipment for aquatic breeding,with 15 million VND (690 USD) per hectare.

TranXuan Viet, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, has asked theDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate withdistricts' authorities for policy implementation and organising trainingclasses for beneficiaries.

He also directed localauthorities to work with the department in identifying specialisedproduction zones as planned so that policy beneficiaries can be providedwith assistance in accordance with current regulations.-VNA