Heaven abandoned the prison

(Baonghean) - The article "Early handover of land for rubber plantation project" by author Quang An, published on page 4 of the daily newspaper on December 19th, raised an interesting topic that many people are interested in at the present time. However, the article did not thoroughly address the issue raised and did not provide the specific and complete information that readers and those involved expected.

The rubber tree development project in Nghe An province was set as a goal by the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress. This was further concretized by Decision No. 4183/QD-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee, issued on September 19, 2013, approving the Nghe An Province Rubber Development Project for the period 2011-2015, aiming for 22,663 hectares of rubber trees throughout the province by 2015. This project primarily focuses on investing in 14,220 hectares of new rubber plantations located in eight districts along National Highway 48. Specifically, Anh Son district alone has a planned area of ​​2,600 hectares (currently 450 hectares), thus requiring the planting of 2,150 hectares of new trees.

In the article, the author addresses the urgent need to resolve obstacles in handing over land for the rubber plantation project in Anh Son district. Importantly, the author's approach raises questions for readers: What are the reasons why residents have not yet agreed to hand over their land? Who is responsible for these protracted delays and obstacles? Ultimately, will we expect a positive solution that benefits both sides, allowing the rubber trees to take root and flourish?

However, I would like to point out that through this article, readers can see that the author has diligently researched and grasped the issue from the district level down to individual households. Many figures and examples are presented. Yet, it seems that this research and approach are still not thorough enough, leaving readers feeling disappointed, like "abandoning the child halfway." Or, as the people of Nghe An province would say, "If you don't let them become teachers, they cry; if you do, they can't understand." The "can't understand" here refers to issues directly affecting the lives of not just one generation of people, nor is it confined to a narrow scope. It concerns the goals of the Provincial Party Congress and the long-term development plan of the Provincial People's Committee, yet these issues have been handled poorly, leaving readers feeling "like a tangled mess."

According to the article, in Phuc Son and Long Son communes, dozens of families have received compensation from the project, and laborers have been employed at Anh Son Forestry Company and the 12/9 Rubber Plantation with relatively high salaries. Their lives have stabilized and improved. The rubber trees are now over 3 years old and over 4 meters tall... In general, the picture painted is very perfect, showing the right direction when the people willingly follow the province's policy. However, there are still 14 households that have not completed their compensation dossiers? Meanwhile, to date, Anh Son district and the Compensation, Support and Resettlement Council of the Project have handed over 1,936 hectares out of a total of 3,704 hectares to the investor, with a total compensation and support amount of nearly 14.1 billion VND. To explain this issue, the author cited several opinions, such as: people comply with the policy, but the land lease support of 3.2 million VND/hectare (320 VND/m2) and 50 million VND/hectare for planted forests is inappropriate. Furthermore, if the land is allocated, people will not know how to make a living, or they will refuse to return the land, requesting to convert it themselves and plant rubber trees. The result of this was that on November 18th and 19th, the District Compensation and Support Council invited the households that had not yet agreed to participate in the on-site verification, but only one household attended; the remaining 13 households did not come for various reasons.

The issue has been raised, but the explanation remains unconvincing. We can examine the causes from several perspectives. Most recently, on December 4th, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2355/QD-TTg approving the Socio-Economic Development Plan for Western Nghe An Province until 2020. In the list of priority projects in the Decision, the rubber planting and processing project in Anh Son is ranked second, only after the dairy farming development project in Nghia Dan. This means that the preferential treatment for rubber trees in Anh Son has been approved by a decision at the Prime Minister's level.

So what is the reason? Perhaps it's because the rubber planting results fell short of the planned targets. The main causes are inefficient land clearance and conversion; inadequate policies supporting rubber planting; and slow and inconsistent implementation of rubber planting plans. Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company is an active participant in rubber planting and development projects in the province; however, the company is currently facing difficulties in land clearance for rubber planting in Anh Son and Thanh Chuong districts. Furthermore, some provincial policies have been slow to be revised, rendering them unsuitable for the company's current rubber planting development.

That's the situation, but who is responsible for this problem? The article only states, "However, due to a lack of understanding of the policy, as well as other reasons, some households have not yet cooperated." Yet, the same author asserts, "The policy of converting forest land for the rubber plantation project has been widely supported by households, who quickly completed the handover procedures and received compensation." It's clear the author hasn't bothered to delve deeper and analyze the situation. For example, there are still some obstacles in land clearance, or Anh Son Forestry Company is deliberately refusing to terminate joint venture and partnership contracts, and is not handing over forest protection and management stations located within the land to be reclaimed. The assets, including planted trees, that have been inventoried by the Land Clearance Council have not yet been appraised and approved. The land clearance councils lack the basis to prepare compensation and support dossiers for forestry projects.

Another issue that needs clarification is that, going back to April 13, 2010, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 55/QD-UBND.DC to reclaim 6,843.8 hectares of production forest land from Anh Son Forestry Company to be managed by the District People's Committee. Of this area, 1,536.7 hectares were allocated to the people of Cao Veu village, Phuc Son commune, for production, while the remaining land was planned for rubber cultivation. Some of the land reclaimed for the project had been leased by Anh Son Forestry Company to households under Decree 01/CP and Decree 135/CP, and in joint ventures and partnerships with eight other enterprises. Based on Clause 3, Article 20 of Decree 69/2009/ND-CP and Clause 4, Article 24 of Decision 04/2010/QD-UBND dated October 19, 2010, of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the households receiving the land under contract are not eligible for land compensation but are only entitled to a support payment equal to 40% of the land compensation price calculated based on the area of ​​land reclaimed. The amount of 320 VND/m2 received by these households is a land support payment, not land compensation. Thus, it's a case of "It's the fault of both sides."

One of the crucial issues that the article fails to address is the solution to this problem. The article mentions the solution in a very superficial way, like abandoning a child in the marketplace, stating: "The Anh Son District People's Committee needs to continue coordinating with Phuc Son commune and the Rubber Joint Stock Company to disseminate the province's policy on project implementation...regarding compensation...On the part of the households and joint ventures, they need to understand that this is a major provincial policy...which includes the rights of the people themselves." In reality, the author needs to thoroughly analyze the solutions to this problem so that readers and all parties involved can truly understand and appreciate the information.

Currently, the development of rubber trees in Nghe An continues to be affirmed as a perennial agricultural and forestry crop with economic value and is one of the main crops in the development orientation and restructuring of crop patterns in the locality. This is a consistent viewpoint that Nghe An province has unanimously directed relevant sectors and localities in the restructuring of crop patterns, with the goal of reaching 22,663 hectares of rubber tree area in the province by 2015. Therefore, the article by author Quang An has contributed a voice to help resolve existing obstacles, giving rubber trees a foothold and improving the lives of the people. However, although the idea and the issue raised at the beginning of the article are good, it feels that the author cannot fully grasp or pursue the issue to its conclusion. Therefore, I would like to offer the author a local Nghe An proverb: "Talking nonsense is like boasting endlessly."

Builder