'Double' benefits from livelihood support program

Poverty reduction through livelihood support

Visiting the house of Mr. Bui Van Dien in Con To hamlet, located right next to the main road of Ha Son commune (Quy Hop), one of the households supported with breeding cows from the capital of the National Target Program (MTQG) for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2023, it is easy to see the economic improvement of this family. Because in addition to the quite spacious house, the livestock area of ​​Mr. Dien's family is also very clean and sturdy. The barn is used to fatten cows, so Mr. Dien invested in building more feed troughs, a grass grinder and an area to grow elephant grass right next to the house.

Mr. Bui Van Dien said: "Since being supported with breeding cows and planting more elephant grass, the family has had an additional income of tens of millions of dong each year when the cows give birth. My wife and I are very excited and enthusiastic about working in production."

Speaking more about the positive encouragement from the breeding cow support program in Ha Son commune for poor and near-poor households, the head of Con To hamlet - Mr. Cao Van Trong said that after 2 years of implementing breeding cow support in Ha Son commune, Con To hamlet alone had 10 households receiving cows. Of which, 3 households had cows that gave birth, adding a new source of livelihood, motivating people to continue raising and producing to develop their family economy.

Similarly, in Xuan Son hamlet of Ha Son commune, Mr. Truong Xuan Tam, who is over 70 years old this year, said that since he and his wife received a breeding cow in early 2024, it has given them and their daughter more motivation in life. All members are diligent in taking care of the family's livelihood. The cow barn is located just a few hundred meters away from the two main rooms of the house, but there is almost no strange smell because it is cleaned regularly.

Mr. Truong Xuan Tam and his wife are both over 70 years old and currently live with their daughter who is over 40 years old. Mr. Tam's daughter moved in with her parents when her husband passed away and has no children.

“Before receiving the support for breeding cows, the income of Mr. Tam and his daughter depended only on selling vegetables and fruits grown in their garden and raising a few chickens and 2 pigs. Since receiving the support for breeding cows, his family has grown more elephant grass, taking advantage of the vegetables, tubers and fruits grown to fatten the livestock, so the cows are growing healthily and are about to reproduce, adding a “fishing rod” for the family,” said Ms. Hoang Thi Lien, a veterinary officer of Ha Son commune.

Mr. Truong Van An - Chairman of Ha Son Commune People's Committee said that currently, Ha Son still has 22.4% poor households. Although the poverty rate has not decreased much each year, thanks to support sources from national target programs, such as sub-projects supporting trees and seedlings, dozens of households in the commune have had new sources of livelihood, gradually escaping poverty.

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In Quy Hop district, in the period of 2019 - 2024, the District People's Committee has implemented a program to support production development and livelihood diversification in 13 communes in area III and 7 communes in area I with 22 extremely difficult villages and hamlets in the area for poor and near-poor households with over 7.5 billion VND. With the supported budget, the district has provided 464 local heifers and Sind crossbred heifers, organized training on livestock farming techniques for more than 500 households... Thanks to that, the average added value in 2023 of the whole district reached 49.19 million VND/person/year. The number of poor households decreased to 11.68%.

Promoting the effectiveness of public investment capital

Not only in Quy Hop, Que Phong district has also created many positive changes in socio-economic development from the support of national target programs. Implementing sub-projects to support production development in the agricultural sector and diversify livelihoods, developing poverty reduction models under the national target program for the period 2021 - 2025, in 2023 and early 2024, Que Phong district has provided 806 cows, 420 pigs, 4,800 Quy ducks and thousands of aquatic breeds, other crops to nearly 1,000 poor and near-poor households with a total amount of approximately 11 billion VND.

Resolution No. 88/2019/QH14 dated November 18, 2019 of the National Assembly approving the Master Plan for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period has a total minimum implementation capital of more than 335,000 billion VND nationwide. The goal by 2025 is to strive for the average income of ethnic minorities to increase at least 2 times compared to 2020; the poverty rate among ethnic minorities will decrease by more than 3% each year. In particular, Phase I (2021-2025) is specified in Decision 1719/QD-TTg.

Nghe An implements the National Target Programs Phase 1 according to Decision 1719 with 10 projects, 14 sub-projects, 36 investment support contents, with 8 departments, branches and 12 districts and towns assigned to preside over, manage and organize implementation. The goal is to reduce the poverty rate by about 1-1.5% each year in the whole province and 2-3% in mountainous areas; the poverty rate in poor districts decreases by 4-5%/year. In addition to striving to reduce the poverty rate quickly and sustainably, Nghe An sets a goal that in the period of 2021 - 2025, the Western districts will have 80% of especially difficult villages meeting new rural standards and the poverty rate will decrease by 2-3%.

Discussing the results of implementing medium-term public investment programs and projects for the National Target Programs in the province, Mr. Vi My Son - Deputy Head of the Provincial Ethnic Minorities Committee said that the total plan for development investment capital from the central budget for the period 2021-2025 assigned to local units to implement this program is more than 2,649 billion VND. Of which, in 2022 and 2023, the Provincial People's Council assigned more than 1,124 billion VND from the central budget. The Provincial People's Committee allocated more than 1,124 billion VND to units and localities, reaching 99.98% of the plan assigned by the Provincial People's Council.

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Nghe An is one of the first 6 provinces in the country to issue a resolution of the Provincial People's Council on the plan to allocate public investment capital and the mechanism to mobilize and integrate capital sources to implement the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2025. Thanks to that, localities and units have effectively promoted public investment capital, contributing to socio-economic development and new rural construction in mountainous districts, remote areas, and areas with special difficulties.