Imprints from 'Skilled Mass Mobilization' in the border commune of Nam Giai

Replicating economic models

The impression when coming to Nam Giai is the vast rice fields, the acacia and cinnamon hills that attract the eyes. Leading us to visit his family's cinnamon hill of more than 3 hectares, Mr. Ngan Dinh Tuan, 34 years old, in Puc village happily said: Last year, my family exploited 400 cinnamon trees and earned 70-80 million VND, very excited.

In Puc village, almost every house grows cinnamon, many households grow up to 5-6 hectares like the family of Mr. Ngan Van Chinh and Vi Hai Thu.

Also accompanying, Vice Chairman of Nam Giai Commune People's Committee Lu Thi Tien added: "In addition to acacia and corn, Quy cinnamon is identified as one of the high-income livelihood plants in Nam Giai Commune, so the Party Committee, the government and the entire political system have actively promoted and mobilized people to grow cinnamon. In particular, the families of cadres and party members are required to be exemplary leaders for people to follow."

Therefore, in Nam Giai, not only village and hamlet officials but also households of commune officials have cinnamon gardens. For example, the family of Chairman of Nam Giai Commune People's Committee Lo Minh Tuong has more than 1,000 cinnamon trees, the family of Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee Lu Thi Tien has 4,000 trees.

Currently, the whole Nam Giai commune has over 75 hectares of cinnamon with an exploited yield of 3.3 tons; 209 hectares of acacia/5 villages, exploited area of ​​132 hectares; 31 hectares of So trees, yield of 25 quintals/hectare; 436 hectares of Bo bo trees...

In addition to focusing on mobilizing people to develop livelihood trees and protect forests with a coverage rate of 83.72%, the commune also directed people to promote the replication of cooperative, family farm, and farm models. Currently, the commune has 1 agricultural service cooperative, 8 buffalo and cow farms with 20 or more heads, 16 local chicken farms, 1 chicken cooperative, 1 black pig farming model with 15 participating households.

Mr. Ngan Van Lam in Puc village has a large chicken farm with a scale of 700-1000 chickens. He said that this year he has sold 4 batches, each time he sells he earns about 70-80 million VND. From input to output, Thanh Tam Agricultural and Service Cooperative covers all purchases. Chickens are mainly imported from Kim Son town and neighboring areas.

Through the discussion, the leader of Nam Giai commune said: With the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, in the period (2021 - 2023), the Party Committee and the government have focused on leading and directing the Commune-level Mass Mobilization Bloc to coordinate with departments, branches and organizations to propagate and mobilize people in the area to participate in building and maintaining the implementation of 30 "Skilled Mass Mobilization" models in all fields.

In the economic sector alone, there are 14 highly effective models. Typical models include the model of renovating mixed gardens and growing taro in Pieng Lang village with 45 participating households; the model of conserving and developing aquatic resources (stream fish) in the stream areas in the villages throughout the commune; the model of raising local black pigs in Pieng Lang, Puc, and Mo villages; the model of growing mixed vegetables in Pong and Pieng Lang villages; the model of growing melons and watermelons in Cha Lau, Mo, and Pong villages...

Thanks to that, in just over the past 2 years, Nam Giai commune has reduced 60 poor households, with average income per capita at 16-17 million VND, achieving the target set by the Resolution of the Commune Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term.

Projects and works for the people

As a border commune with 10.5km of border adjacent to Laos, with 488 households and 2,250 people, mainly Thai ethnic people distributed in 5 villages along the Nam Giai River, people's lives are still difficult.

To improve the effectiveness of mass mobilization work, in addition to propaganda to arouse the will to escape poverty and promote internal strength to build new rural areas from the people's strength, in the period of 2021-2023, the Party Committee and the People's Committee of Nam Giai commune actively coordinated with the District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee and units such as the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve Management Board, the District Military Command, Team 5 - National Defense Economic Group 4, Hanh Dich Border Guard Station to effectively implement the "Skilled Mass Mobilization" models on socio-economic development in the area.

This was demonstrated when we visited Pieng Lang - a border village located at the headwaters of Nam Giai, the resettlement site of Puc and Meo villagers after the historic flash flood in 2007. It was easy to see that the barren land of the past has now flourished with the lush green of corn, taro, cassava, and plowed sticky rice fields...

Mr. Ngan Van Minh - Secretary of Pieng Lang Party Cell happily said: The village has many seedling projects such as the taro model supported by the Que Phong District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, or seedlings to implement the mixed garden renovation model, build model gardens implemented by Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, thanks to which, the people's lives have gradually changed. Currently, the whole village has 6 - 5 hectares of taro with high economic value, a herd of nearly 230 buffaloes and cows, a herd of 150 pigs, a herd of 30 goats, 2,000 poultry and nearly 2 hectares of fish ponds.

Especially after the Que Phong District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee coordinated with the local government to choose this as a model to build a skillful mass mobilization model of "transforming backward customs, building cultural life and developing the socio-economic situation of residential areas", people have changed their way of thinking and doing.

For example, in the past, the living conditions of the villagers were still backward, only 37.5% of households had toilets, the rest discharged waste into the environment, livestock barns were still makeshift or free-range, affecting the general environment. Now, 56/56 households in Pieng Lang village have built auxiliary works and solid toilets with a total investment capital of 920 million VND. Of which, the District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee supported 43 million VND, and the people's self-investment capital was 890 million VND.

Not only in Pieng Lang, but many other villages in the area were also "hand-held", propagandized and mobilized to deploy practical livelihood models such as Hanh Dich Border Guard Station supporting the construction of a local pig farming model, growing straw mushrooms in Puc village, a clean vegetable growing model (cabbage) in Mo village with a total value of over 100 million VND. Production Team 5 - National Defense Economic Group 4 supported 70 breeding buffaloes, 1,600 chickens and ducks, 30 hectares of bamboo shoot seedlings, 100 guava seedlings, 10 hectares of yellow tea, 5 hectares of macadamia and other fruit tree varieties... for households in the commune, with a total value of over 2 billion VND.

According to Mr. Lo Minh Tuong - Chairman of Nam Giai Commune People's Committee: In the construction of new rural areas, the Steering Committee of the skillful mass mobilization movement of the commune has actively promoted and mobilized people to participate in donating land, donating gardens, clearing traffic safety corridors, ensuring a clean and green environment. In addition, it has coordinated with units and departments to deploy projects and tasks for the people.

Typically, in coordination with the Provincial Military Command and the Military Command at district and commune levels, the model of building rural roads, sanitation works, football fields, and community cultural houses in Puc and Pieng Lang villages was implemented; 50 street lights were installed in Pong village; investment was mobilized and support was provided for the construction of boarding houses for students at the secondary school and the repair of rural roads and bridges in Cha Lau village.

In addition, it also supported the construction of houses (assembled) for 26 poor households in the whole commune and built 5 offices for the medical station. Or the Management Board of Pu Hoat Nature Reserve supported 40 tons of cement to serve the construction of inter-village rural roads in Puc and Pieng Lang villages and to repair and upgrade traffic and irrigation works in other villages in the commune... Thanks to skillful mass mobilization, arousing the spirit of the State and the People working together, up to now, Nam Giai commune has achieved 12/19 criteria for new rural construction.

In addition, to ensure peace for the people and the locality, the Party Committee and the government of Nam Giai commune also pay attention to and seriously implement the grassroots democracy regulations with the motto "People know, people discuss, people do, people inspect"; promptly resolve outstanding and pressing issues arising at the grassroots level; direct and focus on effectively building models to strengthen the political system, national defense and security in the locality such as the model of maintaining political security, social order and safety, protecting the border and landmarks in Puc village, Pieng Lang village; model of drug-free border communes and villages...

The results of skillful mass mobilization work in the border commune of Nam Giai have been gradually changing people's awareness in hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and new rural construction, making an important contribution to implementing the goals and tasks set out in the Resolution of the Commune Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term.