Spring Day, to the land of peach blossoms

Focus on trees and animals that bring livelihood

Tri Le is a large peach orchard of Nghe An province with tens of thousands of trees concentrated in 5 villages of the Mong people: Huoi Moi, Pa Khom, Nam Tut, Huoi Xai, Muong Long and the Minh Chau residential area. Peach trees are grown in places where people live or organize slash-and-burn farming, not only creating landscapes but also providing livelihoods for local people, often selling branches during Tet and harvesting fruits in April and May. The family of Mr. Xong Xo Ly (70 years old) in Huoi Moi village - a village located far away on high mountains, close to the Vietnam - Laos border, has up to 700 - 800 peach trees.

Mr. Xong Xo Ly in Huoi Moi village, Tri Le commune (standing in the middle, photo above) has a peach garden with nearly 800 peach trees. Photo: GH

Taking us to visit the peach garden at the end of the village, near the Huoi Moi border post, Mr. Xong Xo Ly happily said: Every Tet holiday, the revenue from peach harvest alone is approximately 70 million VND, in our village many households grow peaches with high income such as Tho Ba Cho with 600-700 trees.

In addition to growing peaches, Xong Xo Ly also raises more than 30 buffaloes and cows. “The biggest difficulty now is the isolated traffic route, which has greatly hindered economic development. From the commune center to Huoi Moi village, there is only a single road with uneven ground, one side is a mountain, the other is a cliff. Every time it rains, it is slippery and greatly affects the travel and consumption of peaches as well as agricultural products of the people. However, the road is currently being invested in by the State. Next year, there will be a good road to Huoi Moi, our people will be very happy,” Xong Xo Ly said excitedly.

The road to Huoi Moi village is under construction. Photo: HT

Vu Giong De's family in Pa Khom village is also a pioneer household with a peach garden of nearly a thousand trees. For many years, Tet season has also been the main harvest season for Vu Giong De and the Pa Khom people. The village has 94 households, with 528 people, currently has 3000 peach trees, almost every house grows peach trees...

People in Tri Le choose beautiful peach branches to sell. Photo: HP

"When Tet comes, customers come to the village to buy, they cut down any branches they like, on average each household has about 10 - 20 million to spend on Tet", said Pa Khom village chief Vu Ba Re. Realizing that this is a tree that both creates a landscape and provides a livelihood, the Pa Khom village Party Committee has issued a Resolution to plant and protect peach trees. In 2021, the whole village has planted 200 new peach trees along the road to the village. Similar to bitter bamboo shoots, from 5.3 hectares in 2018, the village has now cared for, protected, and developed it to 11.7 hectares, bringing a good income to the people with an average price of 8,000 - 12,000 VND/kg.

Peach blossoms in Mong village, Tri Le commune. Photo: Nhat Lan

According to Deputy Secretary of the Tri Le Commune Party Committee Nguyen Ba Kiem, in 2021, despite being affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, the Party Committee and the commune government focused on leading the people to overcome difficulties, implement economic and social targets, focusing on a number of key plants and animals suitable for the specific climate and soil.

The commune's total crop production area is 326.94 hectares, of which cassava is 230 hectares, corn is 42.5 hectares, vegetables and beans of all kinds are 33.5 hectares, peanuts are 5.34 hectares; passion fruit is 15.6 hectares. At the end of 2021, the commune also piloted the planting of Hong Phi papaya (Taiwan) with an area of ​​3.5 hectares (equivalent to 7,000 trees) in Tan Thai village, Lam Hop village and Pa Khom village; winter-spring corn is planted in 4 Mong villages with an area of ​​9,457 hectares. The average rice yield reached 48.5 quintals/ha, reaching 98% of the plan; total food output was 3,765 tons; average output per capita was 370.04 kg/person/year.

Besides growing peaches, in recent years, Tri Le people have actively grown bitter bamboo shoots. Photo: Ngoc Tang - Gia Huy

In addition, the Tri Le Commune Party Committee has continued to direct the Commune People's Committee to develop a plan to propagate and mobilize people to do a good job of preserving and developing bitter bamboo shoots and peach trees; focusing on investing in developing cold-resistant rice; leading the development of livestock farming in Mong villages. During the year, many economic models of farms and livestock farms associated with afforestation for stable income were maintained, promoting the development of small-scale industries and services to increase income and improve people's lives. Up to now, the whole commune has a total herd of 2,487 buffaloes, reaching 98.41% of the plan; a herd of 4,302 cows, reaching 100.96% of the plan; a herd of 2,451 pigs, reaching 95.48% of the plan. In addition, a herd of 253 goats, 102,706 poultry, and a fish pond area of ​​24 hectares have been developed.

Mr. Ly No Po's effective buffalo and cattle farming model in Na Nieng village, Tri Le commune. Photo: Hoai Thu

Many households have overcome difficulties to become typical examples in building economic development models, increasing income, and becoming millionaire farmers in remote areas. A typical example is the family of Mr. Ly No Po in Na Nieng village, currently owns a herd of 75 cattle, with an average income of 100 - 150 million VND/year.

“Wanting to escape poverty and weakness, I borrowed money from the bank to buy livestock, develop buffalo and cow farming, grow grass to fatten livestock, and pay attention to disease prevention. Now seeing what I can do, many villagers have followed suit. I hope the State will continue to help and support livestock for Mong people in remote, isolated, and disadvantaged areas to develop the economy and reduce poverty,” said Mr. Ly No Po.

Although it is still a difficult commune with a total of 1,592 poor households, accounting for 75.24%, a total of 285 near-poor households, accounting for 13.47%, but besides effectively using the State's investment capital of over 14 billion VND to build roads, school facilities..., the Party Committee and the government of Tri Le commune have made efforts to direct the Fatherland Front and people's organizations to overcome the mentality of "waiting and relying", contributing many working days and materials to build new rural areas. Up to now, the commune has achieved 8/19 criteria for building new rural areas.

Warm military-civilian relations at the border

In the journey of overcoming difficulties, eliminating hunger and reducing poverty, building new rural areas, and protecting border security of the Party Committee, government, and people of the commune,Tri Lealways accompanied by green-uniformed soldiers stationed in the area. Located in the southwest, more than 30 km from the center of Que Phong district, Tri Le commune has a border length of 17 km (adjacent to 2 clusters of Pha Danh and Phan Thoong villages of the Lao People's Democratic Republic) with 4 ethnic groups living there: Thai, Kinh, Mong, Kho Mu. The whole commune has 10,233 people with 2,038 households.

Officers of Tri Le Border Guard Station discuss with people about security and order during Tet. Photo: GH

The climate is harsh, people's lives are still facing many difficulties, illegal activities such as: Buying, selling, transporting, using drugs; illegal exploitation and transportation of forest products and minerals; theft; intentional injury; illegal use of homemade weapons... still occur frequently. Therefore, officers and soldiers of Tri Le Border Guard Station have coordinated with local Party committees and authorities to promote law dissemination activities (focusing on disseminating the National Border Law, Decree 34/CP, Directive 01/CP, preventing migration, unregistered marriage, human trafficking, crime prevention; epidemic prevention for people...).

In 2021, we coordinated to organize 43 propaganda sessions for the people/3,876 listeners; propagate PBGDPL for grade 8 and grade 9 students 1 session/320 children; propagate drowning prevention and injury prevention for students from grade 6 to grade 9 1 session/525 children; open 1 literacy class in Huoi Moi village with 25 participants.

To concretize the mass movement to protect sovereignty and border security, Tri Le Border Guard Station has also advised local authorities to perfect border marker self-management teams, maintain effective operations of 4 teams/28 members, 3 households/16 registered to participate in protecting 18,530 km of border, 8 national markers; 16 teams/198 registered members to self-manage village security and order.

Tri Le Border Guard Station meets and presents Tet gifts to prestigious people in the area. Photo: CSCC

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ho Quoc Hai - Political Commissar of Tri Le Border Guard Station: During the year, the unit coordinated with local authorities and relevant forces to organize comprehensive patrols to close the border and border markers with 8 rounds/96 participants. Solidly built 1 anti-epidemic checkpoint; established 2 interception teams, 1 mobile control team to prevent illegal entry and exit and prevent the epidemic; patrolled and controlled key areas with 26 rounds/120 officers and soldiers; checked and controlled 255 people/248 vehicles entering and exiting the area. Through patrols and controls, 3 cases/3 illegal entries and many violations on the border were detected and handled. At the same time, a movement was launched for the whole population to denounce crimes and illegal entry and exit in 16/16 villages; organized 1,890 households to sign a commitment not to enter or exit illegally; presented 6 immigration denunciation mailboxes...

In addition, implementing the Resolution of the Border Guard Party Committee on assigning Party members of the Border Guard Station to be in charge of households in border areas and the Project of the Provincial People's Committee on "Improving the effectiveness of helping households in border areas, contributing to socio-economic development, associated with protecting the sovereignty of border security in Nghe An province, period 2020 - 2025 and the following years", the Party Committee and Command of Tri Le Border Guard Station assigned 19 cadres and party members to be in charge of 87 households and 17 cadres to be in charge of 33 prestigious people in the area; at the same time, assigning specific tasks to each party member to go directly to help households in economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Officers and soldiers of the Border Protection and Epidemic Prevention Post in Huoi Moi village, Tri Le commune (Que Phong) coordinate with the police force and the commune's militia to patrol and protect border security. Photo: HT

With the characteristics of the area having many ethnic minorities living, to change the thinking, customs, and production habits of the people requires the green-uniformed soldiers and local Party committees and authorities to be persistent and persistent in both propagating and directly "holding hands and showing how to do things", working with the people. In which, focusing on guiding the people to continue to maintain and replicate effective economic development models such as: Growing fruit trees combined with VACR, raising black pigs, raising Mong cows... further supporting the people in techniques, animal husbandry, cultivation... Thereby, contributing to improving the lives of the people in the area.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Tri Le 2 Primary School (Que Phong) in early 2022. Photo: HH.

In addition, implementing the program "Border Guards join hands to build new countryside", Tri Le Border Guard Station organized officers and soldiers to help people build and repair 2 km of rural roads and clear, clear and dredge 2.5 km of intra-field canals; participate in patrolling, protecting and preventing forest fires. Along with that, there are many activities to repay gratitude, help households in difficult circumstances in the area; directly sponsor 6 poor and studious students and 1 student from Den Din village (Laos), support each child 500,000 VND/month, prolonging the dream of education for poor children.

A patrol by the Tri Le Commune Police; Tri Le Commune residents hand over weapons to the commune police; Tri Le Commune Police go to the place to propagate and disseminate the law to the people. Photo: Trong Tuan.

Along with the border guards, according to the leaders and people of Tri Le border commune: Since the regular police force came to the commune, the security and order situation in the area has had positive changes. In addition to professional work, Tri Le Commune Police also coordinate with village elders, prestigious people in each village to propagate the Party's policies and guidelines, the State's policies and laws. At the same time, they mobilize people to abandon backward customs and practices, the habit of using guns for hunting or violations of forest management... helping ethnic minorities to raise their vigilance, not to listen to or believe in the instigation of bad guys, contributing to promoting the movement of the whole people to protect national security, prevent and fight crime.

Warm military-civilian relationship in Tri Le. Photo: GH

Tet is coming, Spring is coming, many activities of visiting and giving gifts to policy households, poor households, schools and disadvantaged students in the area have been and are being coordinated by the Party Committee, the authorities, the border guards, the police and charitable organizations and individuals to bring a warm Spring to the local people. In response to the sacrifices and affection of the border guards and police officers at the border, the Party Committee, the authorities and local people have gone to the teams, posts and directly to the units to visit, encourage and wish the officers and soldiers a Happy New Year.

Characteristics of peach blossoms in Tri Le are large flowers, strong buds, trees with many young shoots, colors not as dark as Nhat Tan peach blossoms... Photo: Duc Anh

Therefore, coming to Tri Le land on the days before Lunar New Year, we feel that Spring seems warmer when it "blossoms and bears fruit" from the deep, close, and loyal military-civilian relationship.