Changes in Lagoon

The pioneering "red seeds" to escape poverty

Following the working group of the Provincial Party Committee for Mass Mobilization and Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, we came to Pha Lom land (Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district) with the desire to bring practical youth projects to the people and children here. Passing the forest road with hairpin bends from the center of the commune, Pha Lom village appeared before our eyes with a simple beauty typical of a Mong village.

Up to now, nearly 90% of the internal roads of Pha Lom have been completed and constructed by the people and local authorities with the unanimous contribution of human and material resources. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Welcoming us with a bright smile, the head of Pha Lom Xong Ba Cho village said that the whole village has two Mong families living together, the Xong family and the Lau family. Many prestigious people in the two families are party members trusted by the people. Under the leadership of those party members, the people have boldly approached new economic models, unanimously abolishing bad customs to gradually get closer to the advances of science and technology in business.

Leading us to the 7-leaf ginseng growing model of Mr. Xong Tong Ca's family (born in 1982), the Head of Xong Ba Cho village could not hide his joy as he shared: "This plant grows in the deep forest, it is very precious, since ancient times, people have used it as a medicine to treat stomachache. Later, it was discovered that it also has the effect of strengthening the body and treating high blood pressure, so more and more people are looking for it. For many years now, this plant species is no longer abundant, and you can't find any roots even after walking all day. Therefore, the locality has encouraged people to preserve and propagate this precious plant species to have another way to escape poverty.

Under the encouragement and example of party members, 5 households in the village have implemented the model. Other models such as breeding cows, raising goats for sale, growing red turmeric... have also been gradually and effectively implemented by party members and villagers.

Ginseng growing model of Mr. Xong Tong Ca's family in Pha Lom village (Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district). Photo: Thanh Quynh

Sharing about the role of the village Party cell in accompanying the people in building a new life, Secretary of the Pha Lom Village Party Cell Xong Ba Giay said that currently, the Pha Lom Village Party Cell has 24 party members, including party members who have been awarded the 50-year Party badge, which is a support for the young generations of the people here to follow.

From the very specific actions of the Party members in the Party cell, the people have seen, believed, heard and followed. The thematic resolutions on economic development, crop restructuring, and strengthening security and order in border areas deployed by the Party cell have been effectively implemented among the people. To improve the quality of the Party cell, recently, a number of Party members who are commune cadres have been assigned to the Pha Lom Party cell, not afraid of difficulties, going from house to house to "hold hands and show the work" to the people.

For example, comrade Xong Ba No, Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, attended the Party cell activities with the people. With his experience from the model of breeding cows, the Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee accompanied the people in building barns, forming models of commercial farming such as black chickens, goats, and pigs. At the same time, with the support of the entire Party cell, the people expanded the rice growing area to more than 14 hectares in the Cha Lap and Khe Ngon areas, including many areas of high-yield rice. The models of growing red turmeric, passion fruit, etc. also contributed to increasing income to help people escape poverty.

Under the mobilization of the Party Committee, the government and the 9th Youth Volunteer Corps in the area, Pha Lom people have approached many new economic models, notably the red turmeric growing model. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Unanimously realize the proposed resolutions

Walking on the spacious concrete road leading to the village, the village chief said that this is the last 200m of the village road that the local people contributed to, along with 150 union members and youth of the commune, pouring concrete with a road width of nearly 3m. Since 2017, with the support of the Party and the State in cement, the people have together donated land, contributed human resources and material resources to build all the muddy dirt roads of the village into wide concrete roads.

Youth union members in the village contribute their youth to implement rural traffic projects and community projects in the village. Photo: Tam Hop Commune Youth Union

Along with the joy of completing the concreting of the traffic routes, this year the people of Pha Lom also have another joy of having a new livestock area. Thanks to that, the pigs and cows no longer die from hunger, cold and disease.

Previously, during the process of building livestock farms, there were many camps of local people located in section 7 of sub-area 696 of Tuong Duong Protective Forest Management Board. To protect the local protective forest area, the 9th Youth Volunteer Team coordinated with the Party Committee, the Tam Hop Commune government, the Tam Hop Border Guard Station and the village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people of Pha Lom village to jointly build a plan to organize meetings to disseminate information about the State's regulations, the Law on Forest Protection and Development, and the Land Law for people to understand.

When the people gradually agreed, the working group closely counted the livestock and poultry of each household to make a plan to relocate the livestock farms and bring the livestock and poultry to the planning area in Bai Lac area so that people can stabilize their livestock farming long-term.

Notably, the couple Lau Ba Phong (born in 1980) and Vu Y Dia (born in 1981) are one of the first households in Pha Lom village to agree to move their livestock farm to Bai Lac. Now, the distance from their house to their livestock farm is shortened to only 3km. Therefore, the travel time from home to the livestock farm is also shortened. Thanks to the rich natural food area and the convenience of vaccination and disease prevention, the livestock has gained weight significantly. Thanks to that, 9 pigs of the couple have been reserved by traders to be purchased in the near future.

Also a household with a developed livestock model, Ms. Xong Y Nhia (born in 1982) said that since her family moved the livestock farm with a total herd of up to 20 black pigs from Cay Dao slope to Bai Lac, it has been much more convenient in the process of caring for and selling the pigs. Thanks to the large road leading to the livestock area, the consumption of livestock has been easier. Thanks to that, traders do not dare to force down prices because more and more buyers are coming.

Thanks to a change in business thinking, the granaries of the people in Pha Lom are always full even in the middle of the lean season. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Party Secretary Le Hong Thai said that Bai Lac slope has an area of ​​about 112 hectares with rich natural food sources, which has helped the people's livestock grow well. When livestock farming develops, the Mong people feel secure to continue implementing other economic models to increase income and improve their lives. Among them, the red turmeric growing model of the people must be mentioned. Up to now, more than 70 Mong households of Pha Lom village have cooperated with the 9th Youth Volunteer Corps to plant nearly 8 hectares of red turmeric.

In particular, 11 households that had to relocate their livestock farms to Bai Lac slope were also supported by the Team and the commune government to develop an effective turmeric growing model. On average, each hectare of turmeric brought the people around 150 million VND. Therefore, taking advantage of garden land and hilly land, people have combined the development of two directions of livestock and crop growing in parallel. Life is increasingly prosperous, and the villagers have more confidence in the Party, the government and socio-political organizations to unanimously implement the set goals.