The project, which uses non-refundable support worth US$257,000 from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, was authorised and signed in Ha Noi yesterday between FAO’s Representative Andrew Speedy and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong.

The two-year project targets improving the expertise and capacity of production, conservation and distribution of high quality seeds of local rice varieties through training researchers and farmers in five provinces of Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Bac Kan, Quang Nam and Gia Lai.

The project is also expected to improve the capacity and yields of farmers through sustained production taught via educational on-farm demonstrations and farmer’s field schools on integrated rice crop management technologies.

According to the deputy minister, agricultural production in mountainous areas in Viet Nam falls behind due to low and unstable productivity of crops.

Total agrarian areas marked out in these regions is estimated at about 1 million ha, mostly on small valleys or mountain sides.

Poor crop yields, low rice sales prices and high production costs makes life hard for mountainous inhabitants, said Bong.