Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands is seeking VND4.8 trillion (US$197 million) of preferential loans to remove environmentally destructive greenhouses from Da Lat City. The provincial People's Committee has suggested the central bank study policies for commercial banks to grant preferential loans to serve the development of green and high-tech agriculture development.
Previously, the Lam Dong's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said it would need VND4.8 trillion of preferential loans for farmers to remove their greenhouses from the inner area of Da Lat, a top tourist destination famous for its picturesque landscape.
In December last year, the department rolled out a plan to remove the greenhouses, which have been blamed for urban flooding, from Da Lat's center by 2030. Farmers and businessmen in Lam Dong have relied on greenhouses for 20 years, during which time the province has accumulated 4,500 hectares of the improvised structures to the detriment of the natural environment.
The region's famed wintry forests are unique among the jungles of Vietnam and most of Southeast Asia. Da Lat accounts for 57% of the province's greenhouses, followed by Lac Duong District with 21.7%.
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