Nghe An: Some localities are slow in paying compensation for the destruction of pigs infected with African swine fever.
(Baonghean) - Thousands of livestock farmers in Nghe An province have suffered heavy losses due to the African swine fever outbreak. By the end of June, localities had received financial support from the province, but farmers are still waiting.
Secrets to investing in livestock farming.
As of June 27th, 1,528 livestock farming households in Nghe An province had to cull their pigs due to African swine fever. Some young couples had boldly invested in large-scale pig farming, raising sows and fattening pigs, but the disease has left them heavily indebted to their suppliers of breeding stock and feed.
The family of Mr. Hoang Van Lan in Hamlet 7, Quynh My Commune (Quynh Luu District), was the first household in Nghe An province to experience an outbreak of African swine fever on March 13, 2019.
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| Quynh Luu District destroys pigs infected with the disease. (Photo: Archival image) |
Mr. Lan said: "Although pig farming is a secondary activity, it has been the main source of income for my family for many years. We always raise two sows, selling two litters of piglets each year, earning about 30 million VND. Thanks to the income from selling piglets, our family's life, while not luxurious, is stable, and we have the means to support our children's education."
Suddenly, on March 13th, the family's pig herd was reported by the veterinary authorities to be infected with African swine fever. Immediately afterward, the local government destroyed the entire herd in accordance with state regulations. Since then, the family's pig pens have been empty, and the couple has had no work to earn money.
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| Graphics: Lam Tung |
On April 24th, the commune submitted a report requesting the final settlement of funds for supporting the restoration of production after the African swine fever outbreak in 2019. The commune sent the report to the District People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the District Finance Department. However, as of June 27th, the households had not yet received the government support funds.
During the discussion, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Quyen, Chairman of the People's Committee of Minh Son commune (Do Luong district), stated: After the district announced the end of the epidemic in the locality, the commune government drafted a document to send to the District People's Committee requesting financial support according to the State's mechanisms and policies for livestock farmers. However, the government and the people have not yet received any information about the State's financial support for families whose pigs were culled.
Why the delay?
Mr. Ho Anh Thang, Head of the Finance Department of Quynh Luu District, said that the department had received over 37,800,000 VND from the Provincial Department of Finance to support households whose pigs were culled due to African swine fever since June 14th. However, Mr. Thang stated that due to the department being "busy" with many other tasks, they have not yet been able to complete the payment procedures for the households.
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| Do Luong District is carrying out the culling of infected sows belonging to Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa's family in Long Minh hamlet, Minh Son commune (Do Luong). Photo: Xuan Hoang |
In Do Luong district, when asked about the provincial government's financial support for households whose pigs were culled due to the recent African swine fever outbreak, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Head of the District Finance Department, was unaware of this information. Only after we requested the Finance Department to check did Mr. Binh learn that the amount of over 72 million VND had been transferred to Do Luong district by the Provincial Finance Department on June 17th. Therefore, it seems that the lack of attention from the Do Luong District Finance Department has inadvertently pushed livestock farmers into an even more difficult situation.
The reality shows that after culling their pigs, farmers lose their source of income, and investing in pig farming becomes difficult due to capital constraints. Another consequence is that after a long period without being able to restock their pig herds, households are worried and unsure what other livestock would be suitable to raise...
