Families involved in forestry projects get more support

Farmers in Gia Lai Province's Mang Yang District nurture sandalwood trees. The financial aid for participants in the Central Highlands forestry project will increase two-fold from US$7/ha a year to $13/ha. — VNA/VNS Photo Sy Huynh

HA NOI — The Prime Minister on Wednesday signed a decision to increase assistance for households participating in a project on forestry development approved by the Government in 2006.

According to the decision, the support level for households or organisations participating in the Forest for Livelihood Improvement in the Central Highlands Project, which is funded by loans from the Asian Development Bank, will be nearly doubled.

The amount for guarding protective forests will be increased from US$7 per hectare per year to $13 per hectare per year.

For planting protective forests, the amount will be doubled to $1,000 per hectare but remain the same for production forests at $400 per hectare for organisations and $500 for households.

The $84-million project was launched in 2006 and is planned for completion in 2014. It is being conducted in 60 communes across the six Central Highland provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Phu Yen and Lam Dong.

The project addresses the problems of forest loss and degradation and rural poverty in the Central Highlands by introducing sustainable forestry to over 3 million hectares of natural forests.

The project also caters for the need for roads, clean water, healthcare centres, schools, small hydroelectric plants and public cultural houses. — VNS