The US government is sponsoring a cooperative
programme on growing subsidiary crops in Vietnam and Cambodia, said the US
embassy.

The programme will be conducted by a research
group from California University in co-ordination with Hanoi University of
Agriculture and Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry.

The programme will be opened in December 2010 and
last for three years, aiming to improve activities in growing subsidiary crops,
as well as conducting market research and post-harvest activities in Vietnam and
Cambodia.

Farmers will be involved in training courses on
production procedure in order to limit post-harvest losses, improve cooking and
hygiene safety, and increase access to the market to raise farmers’ incomes.

The embassy said the programme will receive a
financial grant of US$500,000 from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The sum of money will be used to support farmers in producing high quality
subsidiary crops in

Vietnam and Cambodia. In Cambodia, the Royal University of
Agriculture will implement the programme.

The programme is part of five projects funded by
USAID in 15 developing countries, aiming to help develop a new method of growing
subsidiary crops based on research activities.

VietNamNet/VOV