Banking sector supports farmers affected by cold spell

Currently, due to the influence of unusual cold air in some northern mountainous provinces, buffaloes and cows of some households who borrowed money from banks have died.

People cover their barns with tarpaulins, proactively preventing cold for their livestock.

The State Bank has directed the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and commercial banks to coordinate with local authorities to determine damages in order to have policies to freeze debt, restructure debt, extend debt, exempt interest, and cancel debt in accordance with the provisions of law and the authority of the bank to help people in difficult times due to natural disaster risks.

In addition, the State Bank is calling on commercial banks to take measures to strengthen social security to support families in difficult circumstances and those whose cattle died during this unusual cold spell.

According to unofficial information from the northern mountainous provinces, during this cold spell, nearly 1,400 livestock, mainly buffalo and cows, have died.

Son La province is considered to be the most severely damaged province to date, with 367 cattle frozen to death, mainly concentrated in Phu Yen, Sop Cop, Bac Yen, and Mai Son districts.

Next is Lao Cai province, the total damage caused by snow and rain in Lao Cai up to 4pm on January 26 is more than 32 billion VND. Currently, 354 cattle have frozen to death in the area; the most is in Sa Pa district with 131, followed by Van Ban district with 86. Vegetables, flowers, and medicinal plants of all kinds affected by snow cover are 4,473 hectares.

Cao Bang province also had 342 livestock die from the cold, including 239 buffaloes and more than 100 cows. The number of dead livestock was concentrated in the high mountainous areas of districts with low temperatures such as Ha Lang, Nguyen Binh, Trung Khanh, and Thach An.

The consequences of this cold spell have killed 286 cattle and 2 goats in Dien Bien province. The heaviest losses were in Tua Chua district, with 96 dead, Dien Bien Dong with 94 dead, Muong Ang with 44 dead and Tuan Giao with 40 dead.

Other localities such as Lang Son, Ha Giang, Yen Bai, etc. have also been covered by ice, but the damage has not yet been assessed. Currently, local authorities where the damage occurred are still implementing work to support people in overcoming the consequences of the natural disaster./.

According to Vietnam+