Promoting the role of youth cooperatives in economic development

(Baonghean.vn) - With a concentrated production model, the youth economic development cooperative in Nam Tan commune (Nam Dan) has contributed to a strong transformation of the crop structure, opening up opportunities for members to get rich in this difficult land.

As a unit chosen by the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union as a focal point to implement the movement "Rural youth compete in production and good business" launched by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. Since November 2013, the Nam Tan Commune Youth Union has established a youth economic development cooperative with 5 participating members and received a bid for 5 hectares of land (from the commune's 5% budget land) for production.

Nam Tan commune officials inspect the watermelon growing model.

Initially entering the production season, thanks to the attention and support of the Central Youth Union, the Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee, the District Youth Entrepreneurship Fund and the contributions of its members, the Cooperative Group boldly invested in more than 4 km of power lines, drilled 10 water wells and more than 600m of pipelines for irrigation and drought prevention in the dry season with a total cost of more than 150 million VND.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai in Hamlet 5, Nam Tan Commune said: “I have joined the cooperative since its establishment. This is the third year that my family has been cultivating on the land auctioned by the youth cooperative. By joining the cooperative, I have had the opportunity to exchange and learn many good experiences in economic development, and have been able to borrow preferential loans to change the crop structure. Production is concentrated, so members of the group support each other in terms of working days. This model helps me earn 30-40 million VND per year, thanks to which, my family's economy has gradually improved.”

Traders buy watermelons at the field.

As for Mr. Nguyen Hong Thai in Hamlet 3, Nam Tan Commune, on an area of ​​nearly 10 sao of fertile land, his family never rests, continuously rotates crops, and produces 2-3 crops per year. In particular, watermelon is very suitable for sandy alluvial soil, so the fruit is large, high yielding and is favored by consumers. The 2016 spring watermelon crop promises to bring his family a harvest of 5-6 million VND/sao.

Thanks to knowing how to promote the potential and advantages of the land, combined with proper technical care, the 5 hectares of melons of the youth cooperative every year have high productivity, an average of 20-25 tons of fruit/ha, earning from 120-150 million VND.

Based on the terrain, weather, climate and consumer market, the cooperative rotates seasonal commodity crops such as watermelon, potatoes, carrots, squash, pumpkin, various vegetables, etc., contributing to a strong transformation of the crop structure, rapidly increasing value per unit area.

Comrade Pham Van Khanh - Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Tan Commune (Nam Dan) said: "The effectiveness of the Youth Economic Development Cooperative model is the driving force for young people to get rich in their own hometown. That shows that the policy of changing the crop structure of the Party Committee of the commune has come into life, opening up a new direction for rural youth".

Le Thanh