To reassure forest planters so they can invest with confidence.

(Baonghean) - Providing loans to purchase seedlings, fertilizers, clear undergrowth, and support for forest care and protection are investment items of the forestry development project. However, for people to feel secure investing in forest development, a Certificate of Land Use Rights for forest land is required.

The implementation of the Nghe An Forestry Development Program, benefiting six districts – Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Tan Ky, Nghi Loc, Dien Chau, and Yen Thanh – is facing difficulties and obstacles due to the project's requirement that residents must possess land use right certificates to be eligible for loans from the Social Policy Bank. Consequently, many households will be unable to access loans, leading to a shortage of capital for reforestation, while project funds at the bank cannot be disbursed. Discussing this issue, Mr. Dang Xuan Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Phuc commune, Tan Ky district, said: "The biggest obstacle in the district in issuing and exchanging land use right certificates lies in households whose land use right certificates have been lost and cannot be verified, or where boundary adjustments are needed on-site. Therefore, the issuance of land use right certificates is slow, with only 12 out of 48 households receiving certificates. Those households that meet the criteria have been able to borrow 1,156 million VND to invest in 92.2 hectares of forest."

The family of Mr. Pham Van Canh, from Nam Tien hamlet, Nghia Phuc commune (Tan Ky district), owns 5.7 hectares of forest. Thanks to having all the necessary procedures completed, when participating in the project (in 2013), they were granted land use right certificates by relevant authorities and received a loan of over 100 million VND to invest in forest planting. However, in Nghia Phuc commune, many people who did not meet the eligibility requirements for the program still invested their own capital in planting 135 hectares of new forest. Similarly, in Dong Van commune (Tan Ky district), many households did not meet the eligibility requirements for the project due to unclear forest boundary demarcation (because of discrepancies in area between previous land allocation based on maps and coordinates and current allocation on the ground), or because households lacked original forest land certificates and transfer documents.

A nursery for acacia seedlings in Yen Thanh.

In Do Luong district, the forest area is not large, with each household owning only about 1 hectare of forest land, and many households have not yet been granted land use right certificates, so the loan capital from the program is limited. Mr. Nguyen Cong Chau, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Do Luong district, said: "Because the land area planned for the reforestation project mainly lacks land use right certificates, and the process of establishing and approving land allocation plans and issuing land use right certificates to participating households takes a long time, the project in the district has been slow to implement. Currently, the district has issued 513 land use right certificates covering nearly 610 hectares. There are still 72 land use right certificates covering more than 91 hectares that have not been issued due to not meeting the conditions and ongoing disputes."

In Thanh Chuong district, people have the easiest access to bank loans because most households with forest land have already been granted land use right certificates. To gradually overcome this difficulty, the Provincial People's Committee has directed departments, agencies, and localities to actively participate in accelerating the issuance of land use right certificates to people in the project area. One of the positive impacts that has accelerated the implementation is the project supporting the surveying and issuance of land use right certificates to people. After surveying and allocating land, the issuance of land use right certificates has been accelerated. Tan Ky has issued 147 land use right certificates to households with an area of ​​over 852 hectares; Dien Chau has issued 334 land use right certificates with an area of ​​nearly 682 hectares; Yen Thanh district has 383 land use right certificates covering an area of ​​nearly 454 hectares… With the rapid implementation of land use right certificate issuance in 5 districts, people have been granted 1,625 land use right certificates covering an area of ​​more than 3,317 hectares of forest land.

Thanks to the accelerated issuance of land use right certificates, capital has been "unlocked," enabling the Bank to promptly disburse funds to people for investment in forest planting. In 2014, the Provincial Policy Bank disbursed over 4,558 million VND, and in 2015, over 608 million VND. The Tan Ky District branch alone provided loans totaling 13,882 million VND to 386 households in 7 project communes for forest planting. In Thanh Chuong district, over two years (2013-2014), loans totaling 20,743 million VND were provided to 432 households, resulting in the planting of over 1,860 hectares of forest. Ms. Tran Thi Huong, Deputy Head of the Planning and Credit Operations Department of the Social Policy Bank of the province, said: “Due to the regulations of the forestry development project, the bank disburses funds according to the progress of issuing land use right certificates. Over the past period, through the Social Policy Bank's system, in 6 districts within the forestry development project area, 2,093 households have received preferential loans totaling over 63 billion VND to plant nearly 6,150 hectares of forest. During the loan process, the bank and relevant levels and sectors have coordinated to manage and utilize the funds, meeting the project's regulations.”

With the strict regulations of the forestry development project and the proactive efforts of relevant sectors and localities in issuing land use right certificates, forest planters not only receive loans and technical support for planting and caring for forests, increasing their income and improving their lives, but also feel secure and committed to the forest in the long term.

Hoang Vinh