The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, where the Khmer ethnic minority accounts for over 30% of the population, is focusing on intensifying livestock raising, particularly dairy cows, to help locals, especially ethnic minorities, rise out of poverty. Soc Trang is currently home to nearly 29,000 cows, 7,500 of which are being raised for milk. According to its dairy cattle project, the locality is striving to increase the number of dairy cows to around 17,800 by 2020, or 5-6 heads per household, which will create jobs for more than 6,000 laborers. The project’s total investment is estimated at VND300 billion ($13.75 million), with VND40 billion sourced from the state budget. Soc Trang has carried out measures to zone appropriate grass fields in order to ensure enough food for the cattle and tighten connectivity with enterprises to find markets for the milk. The province plans to shift part of rice fields and other cultivated crop areas with low productivity into grass planting areas. On July 29, the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development handed over heifers to 14 poor and near-poor households in Gia Hoa 2 commune of My Xuyen district. (Vietnam News Aug 3)
