More mechanisms and policies designed specifically for the CentralHighlands are needed in order to spur socio-economic development in thisregion and 29 mountainous district bordering the five Central Highlandprovinces, heard a conference in Lam Dong province on July 30.

Addressing the conference, Politburo member and head of the SteeringCommittee for the Central Highlands General Tran Dai Quang said the newpolicies and mechanisms should focus on helping target localities makefull use of their abundant land resource for developing agriculture inan intensive and diverse manner. He suggested giving priority toindustrial trees such as coffee and cattle husbandry, adding thatagriculture development should be combined with processing industry andexports.

Besides the Central Highlands,mountainous districts bordering the region also received substantialState investment over the past year under the Prime Minister’sinstruction in his dispatch No.588 issued in 2009, the committeereported at the conference.

During three years from2009-2011, about 366 billion VND (22.1 million USD) was poured into 83socio-economic development projects in those districts.

General Quang suggested investing more in transport and irrigationworks as well as electricity transmission network in these districts inthe 2014-2020 period.

He asked relevant ministriesand local authorities to devise preferential policies to allow peoplefrom disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minority groups to pursuehigher education and join training courses in agro-forestry, education,health and culture.

Covering over 54,400 km squares,the Central Highlands groups provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong,Gia Lai and Kon Tum, with a population of over 5.4 million people, 25.7percent of them ethnic minorities.-VNA