Quality is paramount.
(Baonghean) - To date, 33 out of 431 communes in the province have completed all 19 criteria for building new rural areas (NRA) and have been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee. Compared to the rest of the country, Nghe An is among the provinces with the fastest and most successful NRA construction movement. A key issue to discuss regarding NRA construction is the need to focus on quality, avoiding following trends and chasing after achievements.
At the conference summarizing and evaluating the three-year implementation of the national target program for building new rural areas, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated: "The goal of building new rural areas is to improve the efficiency of agricultural production, raise people's living standards, and most importantly, to apply science and technology to develop agricultural production, increase efficiency, and enhance competitiveness. Only then can we increase income, improve people's lives, and make them wealthier." In reality, while localities have completed the construction of new rural areas, breakthroughs in agriculture such as restructuring crop and livestock production, and changing crop varieties in each production season, towards building large-scale farming areas linked to commodity production using intensive farming models with high productivity and quality, have not yet been prominent. The Chief of Staff of the Central Steering Committee for the New Rural Development Program once said: "Even in the 147 communes recognized by local authorities as meeting the New Rural Development standards, upon re-evaluation, many shortcomings were still found. While the number of communes meeting the standards is high, they are not sustainable, and the environmental landscape is very poor. Some communes that meet the standards in Province A still fall far short of the standards in many criteria compared to Province B. Generally, this stems from the obsession with achieving targets. The purpose of building new rural areas is to improve people's lives. The improvement here cannot be vague but must be measurable."
The biggest concern in building new rural areas is how to ensure that people have a better life, both materially and spiritually. New rural areas are not just about having complete, modern, and beautiful infrastructure. The important question is whether the quality of life, the depth of life, is being improved. To truly achieve a breakthrough in building new rural areas, we believe that localities need to focus strongly on three key areas:
Firstly, focus on completing essential infrastructure projects in villages and communes. Most localities have done a fairly good job in this area.
Secondly, it is crucial to promote the widespread adoption of effective production models to sustainably increase farmers' income. This is a major and key issue in assessing whether the material living standards of a village or commune have improved, and whether they are better than before the New Rural Development program. The replication of effective production models can be done using existing models in the locality or by learning from other localities and applying them to one's own. For example, in livestock farming, many models have yielded significant results, such as: the model of raising Sind crossbred cattle from household to farm scale; and the model of fattening beef cattle on a small to medium scale, linked to households. Shrimp and fish farming models are suitable for low-lying areas, coastal regions, and areas near lakes, dams, and rivers. In crop cultivation, many models can be applied, such as: models that link with businesses involved in rice trading, restaurants, distributors, schools, hospitals, and industrial zones to produce high-quality commercial rice varieties like AC5, Nang Huong, Nang Xuan, Bac Thom No. 7, Nghi Huong, NA2, etc., in large fields, where the products are quickly sold at prices 15-30% higher than regular rice prices.
In forestry, the most profitable model currently is the model of planting raw material forests combined with intensive cultivation, which both protects forests and soil, while also generating high income for localities with a lot of barren land and deforested hills.
Regarding the expansion and development of industries, it is advisable to start on a small to medium scale to gain experience and then gradually expand, such as: commercial mushroom cultivation in Yen Thanh, rattan and bamboo weaving in Nghi Loc, handicraft woodworking, and garment making. Linking with factories is necessary for stronger development.
Thirdly, focus on making a clear transformation of the rural landscape. New rural areas must be green, clean, and beautiful hamlets, villages, and communities. This includes not only clean roads and villages, but also clean fields, free from the indiscriminate disposal of pesticide packaging and bottles.
These are the issues we boldly discussed and debated so that we can work towards building truly high-quality new rural areas, creating a sustainable foundation for development.
Doan Tri Tue
(Contributor)
