 IFAD funds rural development project
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will allocate US$48.35 million to a provincial-level project to support agricultural and rural development in Viet Nam, under an agreement signed in Rome on Friday. The funding, the largest that IFAD has given to Viet Nam so far, will be used in the northern province of Tuyen Quang, the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, and the southern province of Ninh Thuan during 2011-15. IFAD president Kanayo F. Nwanze, who visited Viet Nam last November, spoke highly of what the Vietnamese Government has achieved in agricultural and rural development, describing Viet Nam as an excellent model for developing countries. Nwanze noted that Viet Nam has become a rice exporting nation, contributing to ensuring global food security, after struggling against food shortages for a long period. He said that the fund would seek ways to raise the living conditions of rural people in Viet Nam, especially ethnic minorities. — Source: VNS |