Japan will continue to provide 6 million USD in aid for afforestation along sandy coastal areas in central Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces. Notes of exchange for the second phase of project-PACSA 2, under an aid scheme by Japanese Government, were signed in Hanoi on July 6 by Japanese Ambassador Sakaba Mitsuo and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.
The project aims to eliminate coastal erosion from tides and typhoons for the protection of adjacent cultivation and residential areas.
Afforestation has been one of the Japanese government’s non-refundable aid priorities for the Vietnamese forestry sector since 1992, Minister Cao Duc Phat said at the signing ceremony.
Through its International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan has assisted the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum in sustainable forest management and provided afforestation equipment to the northwest region, he added.
The first phase of PACSA, valued at 11 million USD, was implemented during the 2001-2005 period in Quang Nam and Phu Yen provinces.
During the period, 3,100 ha of forests on sandy areas along the coast proved effective in staving off the loss of land area, as well as minimising damage to National Highway No.1, railways and other infrastructure within the project sites.
Japanese Ambassador Sakaba spoke highly of the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in forest protection and restoration. As a result, the Japanese Government has actively supported Vietnam in this field, via non-refundable aid, preferential loans and technical assistance, he said./. (Vietnamplus)
