PM agrees on assistance for marine tradegy-affected provinces

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Thursday directed the relevant ministries to handle the seafood products inventories in four provinces affected by the 2016 Formosa toxic spill.

The newly-released decision regulates compensation made to the four central provinces, including Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên – Huế. Based on the provinces’ reports, recommendations of the Ministry of Agriculture and other related governmental agencies, the PM agreed to provide financial aid to seafood-processing facilities in the localities.

Specifically, owners will receive 100 per cent of shipment values for jellyfish products and 30 per cent for other seafood products.

The financial aid of VNĐ242.6 billion (US$10.6 million) will be divided into nearly 5,500 tonnes of inventory, out of which the provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên – Huế will receive VNĐ150.2 billion ($6.6 million), 48.5 billion ($2.1 million), 42.7 billion ($1.9 million) and 1.2 billion ($53,000), respectively.

Seafood stocks eligible for financial aid are those being checked and confirmed by governmental agencies that they were stored at the time functional forces inventoried the stocks. Owners will also have to show receipts or certificates proving that the products were collected during the time the marine disaster occurred.

Fishery logistics facilities and workers in waterfront areas will also be granted an assistance fund of up to VNĐ341.3 billion ($15 million).

Aid will be arranged and distributed by the provinces’ authorities. In case of incurred expenses, provinces will be responsible to use local budgets to support the affected facilities.  

Additionally, each province will also receive VNĐ400 billion ($17.6 million) allocated from the State budget to upgrade fishery logistics facilities.

In April 2016, the Taiwanese Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Steel Plant, based in central Hà Tĩnh Province, released toxic waste into the ocean which killed local marine life and affected the province and neighboring localities of Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên- Huế. — Đức