Dozens of hectares of salt fields abandoned in Nghe An

Grass grows wildly on 26.65 hectares of salt production land

Dien Ky commune has 26.65 hectares of salt production land in Dong Ky and Dong Ky B hamlets of Dong Ky electricity and salt business cooperative. In 2013, the cooperative congress according to the 2012 cooperative conversion law agreed to dissolve Dong Ky electricity and salt business cooperative.

Since that year, the entire salt fields under the management of Dien Ky Commune People's Committee have been abandoned.

Grass grows wildly on the salt fields abandoned for many years in Dien Ky (Dien Chau). Photo: KL

Mr. Truong Sy Tinh - a resident of Dong Ky hamlet, a person with long-standing experience in salt production, said: I have been making salt in this field since I was a child, my whole family used to make a living from salt production, but it has not been produced for a long time. Because the water source for salt production passes through the residential area, it is polluted and sweetened, the salinity is not guaranteed, so productivity is low, some salt production workers have switched to other occupations with higher income, so people are not interested in salt production. Now people use it to raise cattle and goats.

A vast salt field with abandoned salt warehouses is a waste. “We, the people, hope that the authorities at all levels will have a plan to convert and use the land appropriately, both to benefit the people and to take advantage of land resources. It is very frustrating to see it abandoned like this,” said Mr. Tinh.

Mr. Truong Sy Tinh - one of the households that used to make salt in Dien Ky field hopes that there will soon be a plan to convert production land to avoid waste. Photo: KL

Through discussion, Mr. Nguyen Huu Khang - Head of Dong Ky hamlet also said: both Dong Ky and Dong Ky B hamlets have about 120 salt-making households out of nearly 500 households. People started to stop salt production around 2010 due to many reasons: first, the fields were sweetened because since the embankment was built at Ba Cua sluice, seawater could not flow into the fields.

On the other hand, people throw a lot of garbage in the riverbed, causing pollution. In addition, in recent years, salt production has been ineffective, the output is not high, and the price of salt is cheap. People have switched to construction, carpentry, welding, rice trading, porterage, and transportation, so the salt fields are abandoned. In many Party cell meetings, neighborhood meetings, or meetings with voters of the National Assembly delegation and People's Councils at all levels, people have expressed their desire to convert the salt fields to other production models. Some households want to convert to aquaculture, build ponds to raise brackish water shrimp and fish, etc.

Early treatment plan

It is known that on the land area of ​​Dien Ky commune, including salt-making land, some households from Van Tai hamlet, Dien Van commune previously cultivated. The 1996 administrative boundary map (map 364) shows the entire area of ​​Van Tai hamlet, Dien Van with 94 households, 428 people (granted land use right certificates by Dien Van commune) located within the administrative boundary of Dien Ky commune. The West borders the Song Bung dike, the South borders Dien Bich commune, the North borders the salt-making land of Dien Ky commune.

Abandoned salt fields and warehouses in Dien Ky commune (Dien Chau). Photo: KL

Therefore, according to Mr. Truong Sy Huynh - Vice Chairman of Dien Ky Commune People's Committee, the difficulty in handling the current abandoned salt field area is that there is no decision on adjusting the administrative boundary between Dien Ky and Dien Van according to Project 513 on Completing and modernizing records, administrative boundary maps and building a database on administrative boundaries", although the two communes coordinate with each other to unify the administrative boundary and together with the consulting unit to unify the field markers.

The procedural steps and documents have been completed, but there has not been a decision from the National Assembly Standing Committee, so it is not possible to hold a meeting with relevant parties to develop a plan and find a specific solution to convert the production of abandoned salt-making land.

Mr. Truong Sy Huynh also said: Dien Chau district has directed the People's Committee of Dien Ky commune on plans to convert abandoned production land in the salt fields.

Accordingly, the plan of Dien Ky will give up 6.2 hectares of land where Van Tai hamlet (Dien Van) is living and exchange for another 6.2 hectares of adjacent Dien Van. When there is a decision to adjust the administrative boundaries, the commune will hold a meeting with the hamlets to agree on a specific plan in the spirit of ensuring maximum benefits for the people, it is expected to convert salt-making land to aquaculture land.

In report No. 537BC-UBND dated September 3, 2019 of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on resolving voters' petitions, it is stated that: After the decision to adjust the administrative boundaries of Dien Ky commune with Dien Van commune is issued, 6.2 hectares of salt field land will be transferred to Dien Van commune. The remaining area is 20.45 hectares of salt field land. The Provincial People's Committee assigned Dien Chau District People's Committee to direct Dien Ky commune to conduct a field survey, have a suitable land conversion plan and submit it to competent authorities for consideration and resolution, avoiding the situation of abandonment and waste of land resources.