Front officials mobilize people to grow sugarcane to get rich

(Baonghean) - Previously, dozens of households of ethnic groups such as Thai, Dan Lai, Kho Mu... in Bai Gao village, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong district were short of food all year round and had to receive support from the State. Those difficulties are just "in the past", because now they have a Front official who knows how to "invite" the villagers to do business. That is Ms. Loc Thi Hoang - Front official of Bai Gao village.

"If I go first, then others will follow."

Bai Gao Village (Chau Khe Commune) has 87 households with more than 362 people. In the past years, the people here only knew how to grow crops such as corn, beans, peanuts...; these agricultural products were only enough to serve the family. The vicious circle of poverty continued to cling to the ethnic minorities here.

Then, a ray of prosperity appeared when sugarcane came to the village, people changed their perception, converted traditional crops to grow sugarcane. The person who made this change was "Mrs. Hoang of the Front". "In 1999, the whole village only had a few households trying to grow sugarcane. In the beginning, due to not mastering the planting and fertilizing techniques, the sugarcane grew unevenly and the stems were crippled. Then, with the guidance of the technical staff of the sugar factory, my fellow villagers now have something to eat and live on", said Ms. Loc Thi Hoang - Head of the Front Committee of Bai Gao village, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong district.

Sugarcane trucks of Song Lam sugar factory have entered the fields for consumption.
products for people

According to Ms. Hoang, as a cadre, one must set an example for the people to follow. At that time, many people here did not agree to switch to growing sugarcane, because they thought that if they did not grow corn and cassava, what would they eat? Previously, growing corn and cassava three times a year was ineffective, and food shortages still existed. Therefore, when switching to growing sugarcane, people were still skeptical, thinking that if they were hungry with existing crops such as corn, beans, peanuts, and cassava, where would they get corn to cook their daily meals if they grew sugarcane? But then, overcoming all backward thinking, Ms. Hoang and village cadres mobilized and propagated people to gradually switch from growing corn and cassava to growing sugarcane, so today, sugarcane has changed the lives of the Thai, Dan Lai, and Kho Mu ethnic groups here.

13 years of "saying no to having a third child"

According to statistics, up to now, the whole Bai Gao village has more than 30 hectares of land for growing sugarcane and up to 95% of households grow this crop. Although only one crop is harvested per year, compared to growing crops, growing sugarcane is more economically efficient, with each household earning an average income of 30 - 45 million VND.

Mr. Loc Van Ung's family - grows more than 5 sao of sugarcane, said: "Since growing sugarcane, my family is no longer hungry, sugarcane is better than corn or cassava, when we have something to eat, we send our children to school to help the villagers with their knowledge".

With its developed economy, Bai Gao village has the conditions to take care of cultural and social activities. It is the first unit in the mountainous district of Con Cuong to achieve the title of Cultural Village nearly ten years ago. And especially, over the past 13 years, no couple has had a third child. Currently, the whole village has 9 children studying at universities and colleges, 3 children studying at secondary schools and dozens of children studying at all levels from kindergarten to high school, there is no longer a situation of dropping out of school at the right age.

Regarding the fact that people in the village do not have a third child, Ms. Hoang analyzed: "Our people have heard the cadres' propaganda that having many children is very difficult, they have nothing to wear, they cannot go to school, so for the past 13 years, no couple in our village has had a third child." Talking to us, Ms. Vi Thi Kham - Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front of Chau Khe commune assessed: "This is the village with the most developed economy in the commune, thanks to the application of sugarcane planting planning for high economic efficiency. In particular, Bai Gao village has not had social evils for the past ten years."

North Vu