Nam Dinh urged to recover production after storm

Prime Minister (PM) Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the northern province of Nam Dinh to focus on restoring production after typhoon Mirinae – the first storm hitting Vietnam this year.

At a working session with local authorities on July 31, the PM ordered prompt measures to save rice and other crops to avoid food shortage and help farmers normalize their lives.

It is necessary to re-grow rice in damaged areas or shift to cultivate resistant varieties to ensure productivity as well as inspect the sea dyke system, especially in landslide areas, he said.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a working session with the province

As one of the hardest hit localities, Nam Dinh needs to help aquatic breeders to quickly resume production, he added.

Enhancing communications to increase public vigilance for proactive storm prevention is one of the most efficient solutions to mitigating the impacts of natural disasters, the PM said.

He suggested implementing effectively the agricultural restructuring project, which focuses on growing crops and raising animals that bring about high added value in a sustainable manner.

He also emphasized the need to boost afforestation and increase the areas of mangrove and protective forests to cope with climate change.

The Government leader asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to build plans to support farmers with rice and crop varieties. Meanwhile, the electricity sector was tasked to restore power for local production and daily lives.

He reminded the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting to learn experience from the first storm to have more accurate forecasts to reduce the damage.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Dinh Nghi said typhoon Mirinae injured four people and caused an economic loss of over VND 2.38 trillion (USD 107.1 million) in the province.

Heavy rain submerged nearly 76,000 hectares of rice and 3,499 hectares of aquatic farming while damaging close to 8,200 hectares of crops and tens of kilometers of dykes in several districts, he reported.