HANOI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has taken measures to assist the country's 61 poorest districts in achieving rapid and steady growth, with an aim of slashing poverty rates in these districts to below 40 percent by 2010, the local newspaper People reported Tuesday.

    In 2006, more than 50 percent of those living in the 61 poorest districts, 90 percent of them being ethnic minorities, earned an average income of 150 U.S. dollars per capita per year, said the newspaper.

    Under the measures, poor households provided with forests or land for afforestation will receive 300 U.S. dollars per ha to cultivate food crops in the forest areas.

    The government will cover 50 percent of the interest on loans from the state commercial banks for afforestation, agricultural development and the processing, storage and consumption of farming products in these districts, said the newspaper.

    The government will also provide about 5,900 U.S. dollars for each of the poorest districts annually to promote trade and local specialties. Market information will also be supplied to local farmers.

    The country's poverty rate measured as the percentage of people who live below one U.S. dollar a day has declined from about 58 percent in 1993 to more than 12 percent in 2008.