People have difficulty selling raw materials.
(Baonghean) -Tan Hong pulp factory was invested in and built in Chi Khe - Con Cuong. After only 3 months of construction and trial operation, it was "shelved", causing tens of thousands of hectares of raw material trees that the factory committed to purchase to be past harvest age and now stagnant.
Looking from Highway 7 to Tan Hong Pulp Factory, you can see a huge but deserted and desolate facility, with raw materials such as hybrid acacia, cajuput, etc. piled up haphazardly and rotten. The forests planted in Con Cuong are a vast green. Ms. Ngan Thi Thiet in Chom Muong village, Mau Duc commune, lamented: My family planted over 3 hectares of acacia trees, and I thought that Tan Hong Pulp Factory would buy them, but as soon as the trees were ready to be harvested, the factory "closed". Traders from all over came to buy them, but the price was too low, so my family has not sold them yet. Mr. Ngan Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Mau Duc Commune People's Committee, said: Tan Hong Pulp Factory has a contract with the commune to plant and consume over 250 hectares of hybrid acacia, the factory only supports the cost of seeds, the rest of the people pay for fertilizer, not to mention the effort, investing about 8-10 million VND/ha. At this time, over 250 hectares of acacia trees are ready for harvest, but the factory is no longer in operation, so people do not know who to sell acacia to. The reason is that in the past, the factory only knew how to encourage people to grow acacia trees en masse without planning or investing in raw material roads, so when the factory closed, traders often forced down prices because of the difficulty in transporting hybrid acacia trees. Mr. Duong added: During the Lunar New Year, many households, due to shortages, sold at low prices. Acacia trees 5 years old or older cost 12,000 VND - 14,000 VND/tree, acacia trees 3-4 years old cost only 8,000 VND / tree - 10,000 VND / tree; the average price was only 10-12 million VND / hectare of acacia trees, which is still a loss. Mr. Luong Van Do in Tong To village, Don Phuc commune, said: He planted 2 hectares of acacia hoping that Tan Hong paper factory would buy it to earn more income, but in the end, traders forced him to sell it at 10 million VND/ha, otherwise the trees would be cut down for firewood. Mr. Vi Van Duc, Vice Chairman of Don Phuc commune People's Committee, added: Before building Tan Hong pulp factory, the commune and district encouraged people to plant raw materials because there was a factory in the area that would consume the products. People were eager to plant acacia with the hope of changing their lives thanks to the pulp factory. However, now the factory has stopped operating, leaving over 300 hectares of acacia that are ready to be harvested.
The factory closed, hybrid acacia in Mau Duc commune - Con Cuong is sluggish and has fallen in price.
Mr. Lang Anh Hung - Head of Con Cuong Agriculture Department, said: Before building Tan Hong Pulp Factory, there was a commitment and contract to purchase raw material trees of over 900 hectares, specifically investing in seeds and fertilizers for the above area. In addition, the factory also promised to purchase all raw material tree areas of programs and projects. After the factory was built, it suddenly closed, currently over 900 hectares of acacia that was committed to the people have not been purchased, not to mention over 4,000 hectares of hybrid acacia from other programs and projects that the factory promised to consume are now past their prime and very difficult to consume.
It is known that Tan Hong Pulp Factory was built in 2007 with a total investment of 1,255 billion VND. The production line was imported from China with a capacity of 45 thousand tons/year. The factory's raw material forest was developed on an area of over 47 thousand hectares, with a total investment of 596 billion VND.
In January 2013, the Provincial People's Committee established an interdisciplinary inspection team to inspect the operation of Tan Hong Pulp Factory. The inspection showed that the factory had stopped operating, was unable to pay salaries to its staff, and even owed workers' salaries for many months. The factory has a nursery garden in Huoi Mac village, Lang Khe commune, covering 3.9 hectares, all of which are currently abandoned. Currently, the Con Cuong District People's Committee has reviewed the land area and proposed the Provincial People's Committee to reclaim it.
Many forest growers in Con Cuong expressed regret that if the pulp factory operated and consumed the products as promised, the people of Con Cuong would "change their lives" because the potential for forest land here is very large. Not to mention, the factory also contributes significantly to the local budget and creates jobs for thousands of local workers. This is also a lesson in attracting investment in the province. There must be strict appraisal, inspection and supervision to avoid unfortunate consequences like the Tan Hong pulp factory, causing economic losses and loss of confidence for forest growers.
Article and photos: Song Dinh
