NGHỆ AN – President Trần Đại Quang yesterday presented over 100 Tết (Lunar New Year) gift packages to welfare policy beneficiaries, impoverished families and dioxin (Agent Orange) victims in Nam Đàn District in the central province of Nghệ An.

President Quang spent time talking with local members of ethnic minority groups in Nam Giang and Nam Lĩnh communes of Nam Đàn District, extending his good wishes to them for the New Year.

He praised the efforts by provincial authorities and charity donors to help the disadvantaged overcome difficulties and enjoy the upcoming Tết holidays.

Having lauded the recent socio-economic achievements of Nghệ An, Quang urged the province to harness its strengths and innovative spirit to thrive further, adding that it must ensure the provision of heath care and cultural and educational services for the ethnic minority groups.

Nam Đàn has 18 out of 23 communes recognised as new-style rural areas. It expects to become a new-style rural district in 2017. 

Front leader gives Tết gifts

Meanwhile, the President of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, visited and presented gifts to poor households and welfare policy beneficiaries in the northern mountainous province of Sơn La on January 14 and 15, ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tết) festival. 
Talking with local residents in Chiềng Cọ Commune, Nhân praised the coffee cultivation cooperative formed there, calling it a step in the right direction, and added that an irrigation system must be built to boost coffee output. 
The same day, the Front leader held a working session with the provincial Party Committee and VFF chapter to discuss the development of agricultural cooperatives in tandem with sustainable farm production and consumption. 
He spoke highly of the province’s strategic determination to shift to fruit cultivation and expand cooperative models, suggesting that Sơn La should seek high-quality seed suppliers and establish a cooperatives alliance responsible for supplying fertilisers and plant varieties. 
Nhân also asked the provincial agriculture and rural development sector to train a contingent of cooperative leaders, and described Sơn La as a promising destination to host a conference on building new-style cooperatives to be hosted by the VFF Central Committee. 
Speaking at the event, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Hoàng Văn Chất said Sơn La Province currently has 261 cooperatives, including 30 involved in fruit tree growing and 16 others in vegetable cultivation; and 18 farm produce production and consumption chains. 
As many as 41 firms and cooperatives with 84 products have met Vietgap food safety standards. 
This year, one of Sơn La’s priority tasks is to grow more fruit trees on sloping land areas, launching Vietgap production and consumption chains, and building brands for its products, Chất added.
Also on January 14, Nhân attended a get-together of border guard officers, soldiers and residents in border areas of Mộc Châu District. 
The organisers presented gifts to 300 poor households, 1,000 gift packages and 50 scholarships to needy students worth a total of more than VNĐ500 million (US$21,700). 
Earlier, the Border Guard High Command coordinated with the Lóng Sập Border Station to hold cultural and sport events, folk games and glutinous rice cake wrapping competition in the lead up to Tết celebration. – VNS