Farmers compete in production, contributing to the construction of new rural areas.

(Baonghean) - Comrade Nguyen Huu Nhi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, answers an interview with Baonghean Newspaper.

PV:Over the years, our province has paid attention to and encouraged the movement of farmers competing in excellent production and business, achieving positive results. Could you assess the results of this movement during the period (2012-2016) in the overall socio-economic development of the province?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Nhi:The movement for farmers to compete in excellent production and business, unite to help each other get rich and achieve sustainable poverty reduction, launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Association, has truly resonated with the people and is increasingly developing in depth and breadth, making a significant contribution to the restructuring of the agricultural and rural economy of the province. At the same time, it contributes to improving all aspects of life for farmer members, creating a foundation for economic, cultural, and social development, maintaining security, political stability, and social order in the locality.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh's mushroom farming model in Son Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). Photo: Quynh Lan

As of December 31, 2016, the entire province had over 146,000 farming households that achieved the title of excellent production and business households at various levels; including 556 households at the central level, over 4,000 households at the provincial level, 16,000 households at the district level, and over 125,000 households at the grassroots level. Annual development shows that the quality and effectiveness of the movement are constantly improving, with many households achieving large-scale production with business capital of billions of dong, creating jobs for hundreds of workers, and generating annual incomes ranging from 100 million dong to billions of dong. Currently, there are over 21,000 households with an income exceeding 200 million dong per year; and approximately 463 households with an income exceeding 1 billion dong per year.

The movement has fostered numerous effective cooperative production and business models based on sustainable linkages, contributing to the diversification of production and the development of new industries and services in the rural economy. To date, the various levels of the Association in the province have coordinated with relevant departments and agencies to establish approximately 158,000 household economic development models; including over 32,000 livestock models, 41,000 crop cultivation models, 36,000 trade and service models, and over 48,000 other integrated production and business models. Generally, these production and business models have achieved high economic efficiency, creating regular employment for thousands of workers and contributing to the shift in the province's agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production towards improved productivity, quality, and efficiency. They have also contributed to the creation of typical agricultural products of the province such as Van Phan fish sauce, Vinh oranges, Nam Dan soy sauce, and Vinh Hoa herbal purple rice, etc.

Shrimp farming on sandy soil in Dien Chau. Photo by Van Hai.

Leveraging resources from successful farming households at all levels, with a spirit of "mutual support and solidarity," and enthusiastically competing in production and business to develop the economy, create more local jobs, and assist policy beneficiary families and poor farming households facing difficulties in capital, technology, and production experience, thereby creating conditions for them to rise out of poverty sustainably.

PV:Comrade, how has the movement of farmers competing to excel in production and business contributed to the implementation of the new rural development program in our province?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Nhi:Besides promoting production development, increasing income, and creating more jobs for rural workers, the movement of successful production and business has encouraged and motivated farmers to promote solidarity and mutual assistance to reduce poverty sustainably; build a cultured lifestyle in rural areas; and contribute labor and resources to the construction of infrastructure and environmental protection in rural areas. Many successful farming households have actively donated land and invested capital in the construction of welfare facilities such as schools, health clinics, power stations, bridges, culverts, and rural roads.

For example, Mr. Ho Xuan Tung's household in Hamlet 1, Quynh Dien Commune (Quynh Luu District) donated 200 square meters of residential land and 3.5 million VND to build a road for the new rural development project; Mr. Ho Huu Quang's household in Hamlet 8, Quynh Van Commune (Quynh Luu District) contributed 18 million VND to build a pedestrian bridge in the hamlet; Mr. Tran Dinh Thanh's household in Hamlet 2, Thanh Van Commune (Thanh Chuong District) donated 441 square meters of residential and rice paddy land; in addition, many other farming households in various localities throughout the province have voluntarily donated land, labor, money, and materials to build new rural areas...

Tea processing facility of Mr. Le Ngoc Phuc, Thanh Thinh commune (Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Duc Anh

To date, the various levels of the Farmers' Association have propagated and mobilized members and farmers throughout the province to contribute nearly 5 trillion VND; donate over 5 million square meters of land; and mobilize farmers to contribute thousands of man-days equivalent to 465.2 billion VND. Through this movement, the Associations at all levels have also propagated and mobilized members and farmers in the province through various forms of support, helping more than 46,000 poor farming households borrow over 125,405 million VND without interest, providing 18,292 seedlings and livestock of various kinds; tens of thousands of man-days of labor, transferring scientific and technical knowledge to thousands of households, creating jobs for thousands of workers with stable incomes ranging from 3.5 to 7 million VND per person per month.

The achievements of the movement of skilled farmers in production and business have made a significant contribution to the province's implementation of the national target program for building new rural areas. To date, the province has 152 communes that have met the standards for new rural areas; Thai Hoa town is the only district-level unit to have met the standards; and Vinh city has been recognized by the Prime Minister as having completed the task of building new rural areas.

PV:To further improve the quality and effectiveness of the farmers' emulation movement in excellent production and business, solidarity in helping each other get rich and sustainably reduce poverty, what contents and solutions should be focused on in the next phase, Comrade?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Nhi:Firstly, strengthen information dissemination and public awareness campaigns on the Party and State's policies and guidelines on agriculture and rural areas, as well as exemplary successful production and business models, thereby changing the perceptions of a large number of officials, members, and farmers.

Secondly, strengthen and innovate support for farmers' economic development to promote the development movement; guide farmers in developing appropriate types and targets of production and business.

Thirdly, focus on guiding the movement to develop strongly in the direction of linkage, cooperation, solidarity, and mutual assistance in production and business. Promote trade, production information, and market research.

Fourth, promote the movement of excellent production and business practices, developing towards commodity production, family farm and farm economies, cooperative economies, and developing industries associated with the application of science and technology, contributing to the shift in economic structure and crop and livestock structure, aiming to improve production and business efficiency, create jobs, and increase the percentage of well-off and wealthy households, while reducing the number of poor households.

Fifth, focus on building and replicating advanced and outstanding exemplary models suitable for each locality. Highlight and organize learning and replication of successful production and business models, and provide effective support to poor households.

PV:Thank you, comrade!

Quynh Lan

(Perform)