Nghe An: Many policies to 'support' farmers.
(Baonghean) - Implementing policies to support agricultural development in Nghe An province has encouraged farmers to invest in production, increasing the value per unit of cultivated land. During the implementation process, several models have applied modern technology to agricultural production, providing new impetus.
POLICIES TO SUPPORT FARMERS
Decision No. 15/QD-UB dated March 30, 2018, of the Provincial People's Committee (Decision 15), replacing Decision No. 87/2014-QD, introduces new points to further promote agricultural development in the province. Decision 15 provides support for farmers to purchase rice transplanters and sugarcane harvesters; it also allocates over 10 billion VND to settle outstanding debts incurred from previous mechanization support programs.
In the first few months of 2019, two households in Thai Hoa town registered for support of 800 million VND to purchase sugarcane harvesting machines worth 4 billion VND. One household in Nghia Dan district requested support of 100 million VND to buy agricultural rice transplanters. In Hung Nguyen, Mr. Le Quoc Tan, a farm owner in Hung Tien commune, received 300 million VND in support to renovate his livestock wastewater treatment system.
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| Thanks to policies supporting mechanization, farmers in Dien An now have multi-functional combine harvesters for harvesting rice. Photo: Nguyen Hai |
In some other districts and towns, policies supporting the development of tea and fruit trees (new varieties of oranges, tangerines, pomelos, guavas, etc.), support for new sugarcane varieties, and irrigation policies for dryland crops have also been implemented, contributing to increased acreage and crop yields.
Simultaneously, the province has increased support for newly established agricultural cooperatives from 20 million VND/cooperative (in 2018) to 50 million VND. To date, the province has provided 2.5 billion VND in support to 50 newly established agricultural cooperatives. In addition, the province continues to allocate budget to support breeding stock, assist households raising 50 or more foreign pig breeds; and allocate a total of approximately 2 billion VND to support about 40 greenhouse farming models…
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Long's Dutch-style greenhouse melon farm, covering over 1,200 square meters in Binh Son hamlet, Hung Tien commune (Nam Dan district), is currently undergoing the application process for government support. Photo: Nguyen Hai |
Despite challenging budgetary conditions, the province allocates over 80 billion VND annually to support agriculture. Agricultural support policies are becoming increasingly refined, with adjustments made every 3-4 years based on practical assessments, prioritizing large-scale, high-productivity, and efficient production models.
In addition, to encourage farmers, besides the provincial budget, some districts such as Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Nghia Dan, Yen Thanh, and Thai Hoa town allocate between 700 million and 1 billion VND each year to support new models in agriculture, especially high-tech greenhouse models or high-economic-value fruit trees. Although the funding is still modest compared to the investment of farmers, these are truly valuable resources that empower and encourage farmers to confidently increase investment in agricultural production.
LEVERAGING VALUABLE SUPPORT
The agricultural support policy under Decision 15/QD-UB has many positive new points, but its implementation in practice has also revealed some concerns. These include: Although the province had high expectations when increasing the support level from 20 million VND to 50 million VND to help cooperatives become intermediaries providing services to farmers, the fact that so many agricultural cooperatives have been established in a short period, with some communes having up to 3 newly established cooperatives receiving support, raises questions about their effectiveness.
Moreover, the proliferation of cooperatives has led to a reactive approach to support policies.
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| Supplying fertilizer to farmers in Dien Lien commune (Dien Chau district). Photo: Thanh Phuc |
The policy supporting multi-purpose combine harvesters was initially met with enthusiasm, but demand has now saturated, and the province has stopped providing support. Switching to rice transplanters is unsuitable because there are no cooperatives to produce seedlings. Regarding the policy supporting high-tech agriculture, the province only provides 50,000 VND per square meter of greenhouse space, and the condition for support is that the model must be over 1,000 square meters, which is low compared to the investment level of the people.
In addition, to support agriculture, the province also has a policy to support and mitigate natural disasters according to Decision 48/2017/QD-UB. The purpose of this emergency support policy is to help farmers restore production and overcome the consequences immediately after natural disasters and epidemics.
However, the payment of disaster relief and mitigation assistance is too slow (usually at the earliest one year after the event occurs). This is a worrying reality, as the process of reporting damage caused by natural disasters and floods from the local level and the subsequent assessment process are time-consuming and involve complex procedures. In addition, balancing the budget and securing emergency contingency funds for the province remains challenging...
Every policy implemented by government at all levels inevitably has certain shortcomings. The urgent issue is that relevant departments and localities need to actively collaborate with farmers and, based on practical experience, research and synthesize proposals to adjust provincial policies supporting production development to be more appropriate and effective. This will contribute positively to helping farmers increase the value of their production and make the best use of the valuable support resources from all levels and sectors.
