Thematic monitoring delegation of the Provincial People's Council's Ethnic Committee works with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Joining the delegation was Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council. Working with the monitoring delegation were representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and related departments. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Implementing policies on agricultural and forestry production development and planning, arrangement, settlement and stabilization of population in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Nghe An province, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has actively and proactively advised the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee to issue many documents to deploy, direct and guide the implementation.

At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has also organized propaganda and dissemination of policies to support agricultural and rural development to localities and units so that people, businesses, cooperatives, especially ethnic minorities, mountainous areas, remote areas, and border areas, understand and properly implement the issued policies.

Comrade Vo Thi Nhung - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development spoke at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

According to the report of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, by the end of 2022, the total area supported for forest protection contracts for the State forest area assigned to the Management Board of special-use forests and protective forests; the area of ​​special-use forests and protective forests assigned to economic organizations according to current regulations, the area of ​​natural forests directly managed by the People's Committees at the commune level is 163,657.91 hectares, corresponding to a total supported budget of more than 56.8 billion VND.

The total area of ​​forest protection support for planned forests as protection forests and production forests as natural forests assigned to communities and households is 57,728.71 hectares with a total support budget of more than 7.9 billion VND.

Chart of forest protection contract support for subjects according to Decree 75 for the period 2020 - 2022 in Nghe An province. Graphics: Thanh Cuong

There are 78,472 poor households benefiting from the rice support project for ethnic minorities, poor households voluntarily accepting to plant, care for and protect forests during the time when they are not self-sufficient in food.

Comrade Nguyen Van Hai - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Tuong Duong District Party Committee, member of the monitoring delegation spoke at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The implementation of policies to support ethnic minorities has brought about clear results and had great positive impacts on the development of agriculture and forestry, associated with the socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the area. From the supported policy sources, it has contributed to increasing income, improving the lives of ethnic minorities, doing a good job of forest protection, ensuring security and defense in border areas.

However, the policy implementation process still has some limitations such as: Funding for project implementation is limited and slow to allocate; overlap in management and regulation of capital sources; lack of coordination between local authorities and related sectors;...

Comrade Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council spoke at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to consider clarifying the problems in the delay in paying support money to people receiving forest protection; many models of supporting agricultural and forestry production after investment have not developed and spread; many residential arrangement projects are still inadequate, not suitable to the characteristics and terrain of the locality, causing waste and inefficiency.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council also requested the agricultural sector to review whether the current rice support policy is still appropriate or not. Thereby, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has opinions to advise the monitoring delegation on new feasible policies to submit to the Provincial People's Council.

Comrade Lo Thi Kim Ngan - Head of the Ethnic Committee, Provincial People's Council concluded at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Based on the actual monitoring sessions in Tuong Duong, Anh Son, Que Phong districts and after listening to the opinions of participants, Comrade Lo Thi Kim Ngan - Head of the Monitoring Delegation requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to clarify a number of problems in the implementation of policies to support the development of agricultural and forestry production and planning, arrangement and stabilization of the population in ethnic minority and mountainous areas such as: Investment projects are still small and scattered, with little investment capital, not meeting actual needs; Resettlement area construction projects are implemented slowly and for a long time; Lack of synchronous coordination between functional sectors and localities; There are no or few businesses linked in the value chain towards sustainability...