They spoke to a national conference on desertification prevention in Hanoi to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification (June 17) and the International Year of Deserts and Desertification 2006 (June 17, 2006-2007). The conference was held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the UNDP and the WB.

The localities prioritised for anti-desertification include the central coastal region, the upstream section of the Da River, the Long Xuyen Quadruple and the Central Highlands, the representatives said.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hua Duc Nhi, stressed that the conference was aimed at launching national programmes on anti-desertification, with a view to limiting or eliminating the reasons behind land desertification and restoring and preserving the production capacity in barren areas.

According to the Deputy Minister, among the country's 21 million ha earmarked for agricultural and forestry production, as much as 9.34 million ha has been left fallow.
Although Vietnam has no concentrated desert areas, desertified or degraded land exists throughout the country, adversely affecting land, water and mineral resources and the environment and hindering economic development operations, he added.