Effectiveness of the Resolution on developing craft villages

(Baonghean) - In the last two terms, the Nghi Phong Commune Party Committee (Nghi Loc) has focused on leading the task of economic development, improving people's lives by promoting agriculture and forestry while promoting the development of craft villages and secondary industries. This right direction has contributed to shifting the local economic structure; creating jobs, and increasing income for people.

Bamboo and rattan production in Nghi Phong commune, Nghi Loc

Following the guidance of comrade Nguyen Duy Hai - an officer of the Nghi Phong Commune Party Committee Office, we went to Phong Phu hamlet, one of the units with achievements in encouraging people to develop secondary occupations and improve their lives. Phong Phu hamlet has 114 households with 528 people, the main occupation is agriculture. If people only rely on agriculture, it will be difficult to improve their lives and income.

Therefore, since 2008, based on the traditional profession of producing do paper, the hamlet party cell has issued a resolution on developing the craft village. After 5 years of implementation, the hamlet has restored the craft village and was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee in 2012. Since then, the craft village has created regular jobs for nearly 50 workers and brought a relatively good income to the people. For example, Mrs. Vuong Thi Hiep's family, every day she makes about 5 batches of do paper, each batch has 20 pairs, the average price is from 3,500 - 4,500 VND/sheet, each day earning about 200 - 250 thousand VND. Currently, the product output is somewhat more difficult than before, but every day she produces 3-4 batches, each batch of 10 pairs (equivalent to 20 sheets of Do paper), with a price of about 2,500 to 3,000 VND/sheet, the daily income also reaches 100-150 thousand VND. "The daily income from the above side job is small but it also solves the problem of employment during the off-season, partly covering the family's expenses", Ms. Hiep shared. Besides the traditional profession, the hamlet also encourages people to develop other professions such as construction workers; investing in livestock... Thanks to that, people's lives have gradually improved, the whole hamlet has only 8 poor households; the average income per capita of the hamlet reaches 21.3 million VND/year. Increased income, improved people's lives are the foundation for the hamlet to call for and promote people's strength in the process of building new rural areas. “In the total of 4 km, in addition to the 1.4 km of asphalt road built before, the hamlet mobilized people to donate 600 m2 of garden land and nearly 1,300 m2 of agricultural land to clear the ground for stone road construction; with the spirit of democracy, solidarity and self-reliance, the hamlet strives to build 500 - 700 m of concrete road each year... This is also a practical work to concretize the Resolution on mobilizing people to build intra-village roads of the hamlet Party cell”, said comrade Pham Ngoc Chuong - Secretary of the hamlet Party cell.

Meanwhile, in Phong Yen hamlet, taking advantage of the Vinh - Cua Hoi provincial road passing through, based on the suggestion of the Commune Party Committee, the hamlet focused on ensuring security and order; at the same time, mobilizing party members and the masses to compete in economic development. Thanks to this policy and timely encouragement, veteran Nguyen Van Tuong opened a car repair garage. The garage not only opened up a business and income for his family but also created regular jobs for 10 workers in the hamlet, with an average income of 4 million VND per month. As for young party member Hoang Van Hien, formerly a near-poor household, he developed livestock farming. After only 2 years, Hien's family has escaped poverty sustainably, with 30 pigs in the barn at all times, and each year they can produce 2 litters of pigs with nearly 5 tons of live pigs. The Party Secretary of Hoang Trung Voi hamlet said: Thanks to the typical examples of hard work, the economic development movement in the hamlet has been created, contributing to the rapid reduction of the number of poor households (only 3 households left), the average income per capita of the hamlet is the highest in the commune with 25 million VND/year. Thanks to that, in 2014, the hamlet mobilized the people to build 200m of concrete road worth 100 million VND.

Six years ago, when the province issued a resolution on developing small-scale handicraft villages, the commune issued a separate project to encourage the development of small-scale handicraft villages. Thanks to that, up to now, four registered craft villages have been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. More importantly, a number of traditional occupations have been restored and developed, thereby creating jobs and stable income for the people. In addition, in the past two years, the commune has built six skillful mass mobilization models, including notable models such as: developing household economy at Phong Thinh Party cell; model of mobilizing people to contribute to building infrastructure in Phong Hung; model of donating land for traffic and site clearance in Phong Phu hamlet... to create a nucleus and promote sustainable development in all fields. Thanks to that, the economic growth rate of the commune from 2010 to present has always reached over 10%. In 2013, the production value reached over 80 billion VND, the economic structure shifted positively with 21% agriculture - forestry; 31% industry - construction and 38% trade - services; the average income per capita of the commune reached 20.03 million VND/year, the poverty rate was only 6.9%. Thanks to the improvement of people's lives, in the first 3 years of the term, the commune mobilized more than 2 billion VND to develop infrastructure, so the road system, schools and clinics are relatively spacious, 22/22 hamlets have cultural houses; Catholics and non-Catholics are united and unanimous in building their homeland.

Talking to us, comrade Vuong Ngoc Ha - Standing Deputy Secretary of Nghi Phong Commune Party Committee, worried: "Currently, due to difficulties in product output, while labor costs as well as input materials increase, the prices of handicraft products do not increase, so labor income decreases. The results of economic restructuring are therefore not really sustainable." In the face of the above situation, the commune has proposed to the Trade Promotion Support Center and the Provincial Cooperative Union to support the locality and people in changing product designs and finding markets for products. Hopefully, in the coming time, the output for bamboo and rattan products and Do paper will continue to be improved so that not only will people have a guaranteed income to live and maintain their profession, but also help the commune complete the goal of "leaving agriculture but not leaving home" as set out.

Nguyen Hai