New vitality in a border commune

(Baonghean) -When mentioning Nam Giai, many people still cannot forget the feeling of shock about a border land that once bore the pain of the fierce flood in October 2007. More than 5 years after the flood passed, with the investment of the Party and the State, the efforts of the Party, the government, and the ethnic people here, Nam Giai is gradually wearing a new coat - the color of prosperity, revival, and happiness.

At the end of June 2013, we went to Nam Giai and witnessed many changes in a poor commune in the highlands border area. The changes started from the road leading to Nam Giai, because at the time of the flash flood, this only road was cut off by landslides from the mountains, the rescue forces had to work very hard to reach the scene. But now, after only 45 minutes by motorbike, Nam Giai welcomed us in the still-cold morning sun.

Upon meeting, comrade Ngan Van Tinh - Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, after a firm handshake, shared: "This is an important road connecting Nam Giai with the outside, so Que Phong district has focused on investing in asphalt roads and many times upgrading, repairing, and reinforcing the roadbed, a concrete bridge across Nam Giai River has also been built, ensuring smooth traffic. Nam Giai people have benefited a lot since the completion of this road". The invested infrastructure is creating favorable conditions for Nam Giai to develop its economy based on the potential and strengths of the locality. However, with a poverty rate of 72%, Nam Giai still has a lot of work to do to speed up the pace of hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

One of the main directions identified by Nam Giai is to focus on developing livestock farming and planting raw material forests. Because according to the Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, although the rice area has been constantly increasing, in 2012, the total cultivated area reached 150 hectares, an increase of 18 hectares compared to 2010; the average rice yield has increased, but because each family only has a small area, they only hope to have enough to eat, not to escape poverty and get rich. Meanwhile, the potential for livestock and poultry farming and planting raw material forests of the commune is very large. Clearly identifying the direction, Nam Giai has implemented an action program to develop livestock farming in the direction of goods, closely following the Resolution and Project of the District and planting forests associated with land and forest allocation. In that process, 179 party members operating in 11 Party cells (8 rural Party cells) were identified to play a pioneering and exemplary role. Officials and party members must escape poverty first so that people can learn and follow suit. One of the typical party members in developing livestock and poultry farming is party member Vi Van Thanh - Head of Mo village.

New face of Nam Giai after the historic flood.

In Mo village, the family of village chief Thanh is truly a shining example of economic development. Currently, his family is raising 9 cows, 12 buffaloes, 16 pigs and pigs for meat. Each year, the family sells an average of 2 cows, 2 buffaloes and nearly 10 pigs for meat and many other sources of income, bringing in an economic value of nearly 70 million VND. In recent years, his family has also been actively planting acacia and xoan trees to develop raw material forests. Thanks to the stable income, the family of village chief Thanh has escaped poverty and has the conditions to take care of their 2 children's education. "My eldest child is studying in high school at the district's Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, and the youngest child is studying at Nam Giai Secondary School."

In Mo village - where 36/61 households are poor, Mr. Thanh's economic development direction is being followed by many people. Especially in the village party cell with 11 party members, there are 4 comrades focusing on economic development to escape poverty such as party cell secretary Luong Thanh Long. "Party members go first, the village follows", seeing the economic efficiency of livestock farming, now almost every household in Mo village raises livestock and poultry. Many households have large herds of buffaloes and cows, such as Mr. Luong Van Hong who has 35 buffaloes and cows. The whole commune has 1,072 buffaloes, 473 cows, 1,127 pigs and 5,650 poultry... reaching nearly 72% of the target set by the congress.

In the forestry sector, many individual cadres and party members have pioneered in planting raw materials. For example, the family of comrade Quang Van Tam - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee. On an area of ​​2 hectares of garden land previously used to grow cinnamon, in 2011, comrade Tam traveled to Thai Hoa to buy acacia seedlings to plant instead. Now the acacia area is growing well, promising to bring high economic value. In addition, his family also raises 6 buffaloes, 8 cows, 2 fish ponds, a total water surface area of ​​10 hectares to raise grass carp. Thanks to that, in addition to the civil servant salary, the additional income from the economic development model of Chairman Tam is also approximately 60 million VND per year.

From the commune chairman's acacia planting model, many households in the area have begun to replicate it. As demand increases, acacia nursery gardens have been established in the area to serve the local seed needs of the people. "Nam Giai has a lot of potential for developing the forest economy. The commune is focusing on directing people to expand the area of ​​raw material forest planting. In addition, we are also planning to develop passion fruit trees in Pieng Lang village. Currently, a company has come to survey and plan to plant 200 hectares of passion fruit here," said Mr. Quang Van Tam.

Overcoming the pain of natural disasters, Nam Giai is changing day by day, hour by hour thanks to clearly defining the direction in exploiting the local potential to accelerate hunger eradication and poverty reduction. In addition, there is the leverage from investment sources of the Party and State, enterprises as well as the attention and direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels. This poor and remote border commune, covered in clouds all year round, seems to have been given a new source of vitality to rise up.

Article and photos: Thanh Duy