NAM ĐỊNH — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked the northern province of Nam Định to focus on restoring production after typhoon Mirinae – the first storm to hit Việt Nam this year. 

At a working session with local authorities yesterday, the PM ordered prompt measures to save rice and other crops, to avoid food shortages and to help farmers normalise their lives. 
It will be necessary to re-grow rice in damaged areas - or to shift to cultivate resistant varieties to ensure productivity - as well as to inspect the sea dyke system, especially in landslide areas, he said. 
As one of the hardest hit localities, Nam Định needs to help aquatic breeders resume production quickly, he added. 
Enhancing communications to increase public vigilance and prepare for storms is one of the most efficient ways to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, the PM said. 
He suggested restructuring agriculture to focus on growing crops and raising animals that bring high added value in a sustainable manner. 
He also emphasised the need to convert bare or cultivated land into forest and to increase mangrove areas and protective forests to cope with climate change. 
The Government leader asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to create plans to support farmers with rice and crop varieties. Meanwhile, the electricity sector was tasked to restore power for local production and daily needs. 
He reminded the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting to learn from the first storm and to work towards more accurate forecasts to reduce future storm damage. 
The Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Phạm Đình Nghị, said typhoon Mirinae injured four people and caused economic losses of over VNĐ2.38 trillion (US$107.1 million) in the province. 
Heavy rain submerged nearly 76,000 hectares of rice and more than 3,490 hectares of aquatic farming, while damaging close to 8,200 hectares of crops and tens of kilometers of dykes in several districts, Nghị reported. — VNS