Circular No. 08/2009/TT-BNN guiding the implementation of certain support policies for developing agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production pursuant to Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP dated December 27, 2008 of the Government.

Section I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

2. Applicability: These Circulars provide guidelines for implementing certain support policies to develop agricultural, forestry, and aquatic production pursuant to Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP dated December 27, 2008 of the Government on the program to quickly and sustainably reduce poverty in 61 poor districts.

第二条 组织和实施奖励工作的支出水平，如政府第152/2025/NĐ-CP号决定关于分级授权和奖励领域的分权规定 A household is a family residing and having permanent registration at the locality of communes and towns within the 61 poor districts according to Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP dated December 27, 2008 of the Government.

PART II

SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1. Support through contracts for caring for and protecting forests, transferring forests, and allocating land for planting productive forests

a) Households receiving contracts for caring for and protecting special-use forests, protective forests, and naturally occurring productive forests with rich and medium reserves but currently closed off shall be entitled to a contract payment of VND 200,000 per hectare per year.

b) For areas of protective and special-use forests reviewed according to Directive No. 38/2005/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister and found not to meet the criteria, they will now be transferred to productive forests and allocated to households, then the following benefits apply:

- For planted forests: When harvesting, the household shall enjoy all harvested products but must replant immediately in the following year after harvesting.

- For naturally occurring productive forests not mentioned in point a above, households must manage, protect, and produce according to the guidance of the People's Committee of the commune and approval by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the district, and have the right to: Harvest timber and non-timber forest products according to current regulations; in cases where natural forests are not yet ready for main harvesting, if households have essential needs for building new houses, repairing, or replacing old houses, they may be allowed to harvest, with a maximum of 10 cubic meters of roundwood per household for one-time construction of a new house, repair, or replacement of an old house, the specific amount is determined by the Provincial People's Committee. When harvesting, households must report to the People's Committee of the commune for review and submission to the People's Committee of the district for approval; when households are permitted to harvest, the People's Committee of the commune and forest rangers in the area have the responsibility to supervise implementation.³gỗ tròn cho một lần làm nhà mới, sửa chữa, thay thế nhà cũ, mức cụ thể do Ủy ban nhân dân tỉnh quyết định. Khi khai thác phải có đơn báo cáo Ủy ban nhân dân xã để xét tổng hợp trình Ủy ban nhân dân huyện phê duyệt; khi các hộ gia đình được phép khai thác thì Ủy ban nhân dân xã và cán bộ kiểm lâm địa bàn có trách nhiệm giám sát việc thực hiện.

c) For areas of productive forests planted by households, after reviewing according to Directive No. 38/2005/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister, if they need to be converted to protective or special-use forests, the State will compensate them based on the price at the time of conversion.

d) For vacant land planned for afforestation, specifically:

- For planting protective and special-use forests, the investment average is VND 10 million per hectare (including planting and care until the forest is established). Payment is based on actual costs, on the basis of the project investment budget approved by the competent authority. After four years of planting and care, if the standard for a forest is met, it will continue to be contracted for protection at VND 200,000 per hectare per year.

- For planting productive forests allocated to households and individuals: They will be supported with seedlings, fertilizers, and part of labor costs, with a support level of VND 2 to 5 million per hectare (the specific support level depends on topography, soil conditions, difficulty of construction, seedling prices in each locality, and is decided by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee).

đ) Households will be supported with VND 5 million per hectare per household to utilize and create agricultural production land within the area of forests under contracts for caring for and protecting, and land allocated for planting productive forests; if the conditions for agricultural production are met and comply with the Forest Management Regulations, the head of the household shall report to the People's Committee of the commune for consolidation and reporting to the People's Committee of the district for consideration of support.

2. Support for clearing land, revitalizing, or creating terraced fields for agricultural production

a) Land for clearing: This is land that has been planned for agricultural production according to the land use plan approved by the competent authority, but before the time of formulating the clearing plan had not been allocated to organizations or individuals for exploitation and use, and was left idle. The support for clearing land for cultivation or planting fodder crops is VND 10 million per hectare.

b) Land for revitalization: This is land that has been planned for agricultural production use according to the land use plan approved by the competent authority, which was previously used for agricultural production, but later ceased to be cultivated and became idle again before the time of formulating the plan to convert the land. The support for revitalizing land for cultivation or planting fodder crops is VND 5 million per hectare.

After clearing and revitalization, the land can be used to grow short-term crops such as corn, soybeans, sugar cane, peanuts, grass for livestock feed, and perennial industrial and fruit trees.

c) Land for creating terraced fields: This is idle land from shifting cultivation or currently used for agriculture but improved into terraced fields for growing rice or other crops, industrial plants, and fodder crops. The support for improving land into terraced fields is VND 10 million per hectare.

d) Poor households with water surface areas for aquaculture of 100 square meters² or more: The State will provide a one-time support of VND 1 million per household to improve fish ponds, including costs for embankment construction, irrigation channels, purchasing chemicals and biological preparations to improve the environment, and fertilizers for pre-planting preparation of the pond before stocking.

đ) Scale of support: Based on the land resources and number of households in each locality, the Commune People's Committee will formulate plans to allocate land for clearing, revitalization, and converting sloping land into terraced fields to households.

- In areas with limited land resources, ensure a minimum allocation of 0.5 hectares of idle land or 0.25 hectares of paddy field for one crop season or 0.15 hectares of paddy field for two crop seasons to each household.

- In areas where there is still a large land fund, the maximum support for one household is three hectares for short-term crop production or thirty hectares for long-term tree planting.

e) Support methods:

- For reclaimed land: Households that need to reclaim land submit an application to the People's Committee of the commune (through the village head) regarding the location, area, and time of implementation. The People's Committee of the commune will conduct a specific review, comparing with the land use plan and the land fund of the locality to organize reclamation through one of the following two methods:

- For regions with concentrated agricultural land reclamation areas: The People's Committee of the district will establish a reclamation project or terraced rice fields using machinery, then allocate land to households for production.

- For scattered small plots of agricultural land or areas difficult to implement with machinery: The People's Committee of the commune will approve the location and area permitted for reclamation by the household, prepare a file requesting the People's Committee of the district to provide direct financial support to households organizing reclamation themselves.

- For land restoration, converting land into terraced rice fields, or improving fish ponds: Households that need to restore or improve land submit an application to the People's Committee of the commune regarding the area and location of implementation. The People's Committee of the commune, based on land records and comparing with the land use plan of the locality, if appropriate, will approve the household to carry out restoration or improvement; verify and confirm the actual area implemented so that the household can benefit from financial support according to regulations.

3. Support for switching to high-value crops and livestock

a) Full one-time support for seed and fertilizer costs:

- Switching from annual crop cultivation to industrial crops such as tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber, pepper, cashew, biofuel crops, and perennial fruit trees, or converting poor forest land to rubber plantations according to planning, the State will fully support one-time funding for seed and fertilizer purchase costs during the initial construction period according to the support standard set by the Provincial People's Committee.

- Changing the variety structure within short-term crops (rice, corn, beans, peanuts, new cotton varieties, potatoes, flowers, animal feed crops), full support for seed and fertilizer costs for the first conversion crop cycle according to the standard and procedure established by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and approved by the Provincial People's Committee. Priority is given to supporting the use of high-yielding hybrid rice and corn varieties.

b) Full one-time support for seed and transportation costs for each type of livestock according to the needs of the livestock farming household: Each household is entitled to one female buffalo or cow aged 12 to 15 months; in cases where households cannot raise buffalo or cows, they may be supported with one female goat, or one female sheep aged 11 to 13 months, or one sow, or a pair of fattening pigs weighing 20 to 30 kg each, or eighty young poultry aged 3 to 4 weeks.

c) Full one-time support for aquaculture seed costs: When households switch to raising high-value aquatic species, they will receive full support for seed costs once. The amount of support will be paid based on actual expenses but not exceeding two million dong per 1,000 square meters of water surface. Supported seed types include newly introduced aquatic species and those listed in the catalog established by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

d) Poor households will receive a one-time support of one million dong per household for building livestock sheds.

đ) Poor households raising buffaloes, cattle, goats, or sheep will receive two million dong per hectare to purchase seeds for intensive grass cultivation if they have livestock.

e) Support methods:

- The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will guide the People's Committee of the district to develop plans for switching crop and livestock structures and determine suitable crop and livestock types and varieties for local conditions as a basis for support; establish specific investment standards for seeds and fertilizers for each crop and livestock type and submit them for approval by the Provincial People's Committee.

- At least two months before the production season, the People's Committee of the commune will publicly announce the types of crops and livestock that households are allowed to switch to, and the required area and quantity of seed and compound fertilizer types for registration and approval by the People's Committee of the district.

- The People's Committee of the district will base its decision on the seed and fertilizer requirements submitted by communes, compile the financial needs and request support from the provincial government.

The People's Committee of the district will select and sign contracts with units capable of supplying seeds and fertilizers to supported communes, ensuring quality and reasonable prices at different times; organize inspections and supervision to ensure accurate support targets and approved standards.

4. Food support for poor households in border villages during the period when they cannot self-sufficiently produce food

- For poor households assigned to protect, plant, and care for forests who cannot self-sufficiently produce food, in addition to the policies they enjoy under Clause 1, Section II of this Circular, they will also receive a rice subsidy of fifteen kilograms per person per month for a maximum of eighty-four months.

- For poor households in border villages: During the period when they cannot self-sufficiently produce food, they will receive a rice subsidy of fifteen kilograms per person per month.

The specific duration of the rice subsidy will be decided by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

- Other households will be supported according to current policies.

5. Interest rate support

a) Poor households needing loans for productive forest planting will receive fifty percent interest rate support from the state budget for loans taken from state commercial banks.

b) Households will receive fifty percent interest rate support from the state budget for loans taken from state commercial banks for investments to develop production, including new investments or expanding livestock sheds.

c) Poor households can borrow up to five million dong per household with zero percent interest (one-time) for two years to purchase livestock seeds for buffaloes, cows, goats; for poultry, the number must be one hundred or more and raised in a farm setting; aquaculture seeds must be listed in the catalog of locally raised aquatic species established by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

d) Poor households that do not have the necessary conditions for breeding and have the need to develop small-scale and cottage industries to generate income may borrow up to five million Vietnamese dong per household with a zero percent interest rate (one time).

The borrowing and interest subsidy shall be implemented in accordance with the regulations of the State Bank.

6. Vaccine cost support

Poor households will be supported with 100% of the cost of vaccines for preventive inoculation for their current livestock and new livestock for dangerous diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, anthrax, pasteurellosis, swine fever, and avian influenza. Vaccines will be received according to the plan from the Animal Health Sub-department transferred by the Department of Animal Health.

Section III

IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular shall take effect forty-five days from the date of signature.

Provincial People's Committees under the central government, Chairmen of People's Committees of 61 poor districts, Directors of Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Heads of agencies and units under the Ministry are responsible for implementing this Circular.

During the implementation process, if there are difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that agencies, organizations, and individuals report them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for timely revision and supplementation./.