Prosperity in the new countryside

(Baonghean) - The lives of people in the resettlement area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Plant in Thanh Chuong District are still facing many difficulties and hardships. However, with the active support and assistance of Party committees and authorities at all levels, people in the resettlement area have been making efforts to gradually stabilize their lives...

Mrs. Lu Thi Ton, Ngoc Lam commune weaves brocade.

After 9 years since the people in the Ban Ve Hydropower Reservoir (Tuong Duong) resettled in Ngoc Lam and Thanh Son communes, Thanh Chuong district, their lives have changed significantly. According to Mr. Luong Quang Canh, Secretary of the Ngoc Lam Commune Party Committee: The changes have taken place in both directions. The gains are "electricity, roads, schools, stations", the people's intellectual level has been raised, their children have been fully educated, production methods have been increasingly advanced, people have taken care of economic development so there is no longer "6 months of work, 6 months of play" like before.

The "gains" are very clear. In 2013, the total production value of both communes reached 83.6 billion VND; the poverty rate decreased by 9% compared to 2009 (the year the decision to establish the two communes was made); 39% of households achieved the title of Cultural Family (in 2009 it was 17.8%), 8/30 villages achieved the title of Cultural Village; 100% of school-age children, Ngoc Lam commune alone achieved universal lower secondary education, last school year there were 9 students who achieved provincial-level excellent students, 235 students who achieved district-level excellent students; 90% of people were literate; 90% of households in Ngoc Lam and Thanh Son communes had means of transportation and audio-visual; both health stations had doctors, 28/30 villages had village nurses; the third birth rate was lower than the district average. In the first 6 months of 2014, both communes planted 162 hectares of rice, 379 hectares of cassava, 8.3 hectares of corn, 6.4 hectares of various vegetables, nearly 600 hectares of hybrid acacia, 114 hectares of industrial tea... All the above statistics have proven that the "gain" here is the adaptation and progress that is taking place every day.

To achieve the above results, Mr. Luong Quang Canh said: In the past time, the entire political system of the province, district and commune has actively participated, with many measures and solutions to support and improve the lives of people in resettlement areas, such as: Supporting rice for famine relief, providing seeds of crops, livestock and fertilizers, training in science and technology, directing the Policy Bank to create conditions for people to borrow capital for production, linking businesses to purchase products for people, organizing vocational training, building houses for poor households and many other incentive mechanisms and policies; many cultural preservation projects have been implemented such as establishing folk song and dance clubs, restoring brocade weaving, organizing many cultural and artistic activities on holidays and Tet... Besides, there are efforts to raise awareness of self-improvement, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty of the people.

However, the process of approaching new production methods on new soil conditions encountered many difficulties, causing many families with poor adaptation to return to their old places to live or do business (Ngoc Lam commune alone has 150 households); the rate of poor households in the resettlement area is still high, up to 82.1%... "The loss" here takes place invisibly and slowly, Mr. Vi Trong Thuy, Vice Chairman of Thanh Son Commune People's Committee confided: The struggle to make a living takes a lot of time, making people not have the opportunity to organize cultural activities such as making rice wine, carving furrows... If the new land cannot grow sticky rice, the new rice celebration will no longer exist. In the context of integration, many cultural elements are at risk of being assimilated and forgotten such as costumes, customs, and language.

Although the new land of Hoa Quan mountain has not yet become a native land, more or less people have become familiar with and attached to the resettlement area as well as determined to stick with it and live here for life. Mrs. Lu Thi Ton (a resident of Noong village, Ngoc Lam commune that we met) shared her feelings like that. She and many people in the resettlement area have acknowledged: Returning to the old place means admitting to life in the 80s of the last century with no electricity, no school, no station, no living facilities. Talking about the old place, it is said to be easier to do business, but in reality, the living conditions are much worse than the resettlement area in terms of food and clothing. Many people made the mistake of selling their houses and fields, and now want to return, but it is not easy because they do not have enough money to buy. For example, in Tuong Duong, more buffaloes and cows can be raised, but the selling price is only half of what it is here. "The new place has good security conditions, less social evils, men drink less alcohol, and children are fully educated."

In order to "Resettlement places are equal to or better than the old place", "gains" are multiplied and "losses" are minimized, in recent times, Nghe An province in general and Thanh Chuong district in particular have continuously grasped the difficult situation of the people, had preferential mechanisms and policies, strengthened propaganda to raise awareness for the people, paid attention to training and fostering cadres, and implemented hand-holding to help people develop the economy, preserve and promote cultural identity. Mr. Le Quang Dat - Secretary of Thanh Chuong District Party Committee said: Based on the soil conditions and farming practices of the people, through testing and comparing the results, the province and district have determined to make industrial tea trees the main crop for the people, and at the same time develop large-scale livestock farming. The province and district have fully supported tea seeds, fertilizers and technical training for the people. Currently, the district has directed people to dig trenches, plant seeds and will start planting from September. In 2014, the district aims to develop 140 hectares in 2 resettlement communes (doubling the existing area).

Changing awareness and getting people to accept new crops is not easy when tea plants, although more effective than rice, take 3 years to harvest. Compared to cassava and acacia plants, the care is more laborious… Faced with this difficulty, district and commune officials have stepped in to promote the effectiveness of tea cultivation to people; guide them, provide technical training, and support them.

Mr. Vi Van Phong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Ngoc Lam Commune, is one of many people who have gone to each village and each family to clearly explain to the people about the effectiveness of tea planting. Mr. Phong himself is also an example of "practicing what he preaches". In addition to his office hours, whenever he has free time, he goes up the hill to dig trenches and improve his family's 5 acres of hilly land to prepare for the season... Mr. Vi Van Phong confided: With the village elders and village chiefs speaking clearly and setting an example, and with district and commune officials providing technical training, the industrial tea plant has received great trust from the people; creating a new, very exciting and vibrant production atmosphere.

Visiting the family of Mr. Vi Van Hoa, Ta Xieng village, Ngoc Lam commune, when Mr. Hoa and his younger brother were taking care of, weeding and watering the tea nursery. Mr. Hoa said: “The two brothers returned from training, and were analyzed by provincial and district officials about the pros and cons, so they immediately followed suit. Currently, the nursery of the two brothers has 10,000 trees, which will be planted this September. The state fully supports, so the people are very excited…”. Both Ngoc Lam and Thanh Son communes now have 981 more households registered to plant new tea and this number is constantly increasing.

Similar to the development of tea trees, the Party Committee of Ngoc Lam commune has also implemented the "exemplary" method to achieve the goal of developing a large herd of cattle to 2,500 by 2015. For example, the family of Mr. Luong Cong Thang - Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Ngoc Lam commune has taken the lead in developing a herd of buffalo and cows with 11 cows. Mr. Thang said: "In 2013, the family sold 3 buffalo and cows for 54 million VND. Currently, the value of his herd of buffalo and cows is worth hundreds of millions of VND, the draft buffalo alone has someone paying up to 49 million VND but has not been sold... Raising buffalo and cows currently has a problem of large initial investment capital. People in the resettlement area have clearly seen the effectiveness of growing grass to raise buffalo and cows and wish to receive more support in borrowing capital for production. That does not mean that people still have a heavy mentality of waiting and relying on others...".

Thanh Son