"Sufficient food makes a strong army" in Battalion 41

(Baonghean) - Despite continuous heavy rain, officers and soldiers of Battalion 41, Regiment 764, Nghean Provincial Military Command, are diligently working to prepare for the 2015 Military Region-level Competition for Excellent Production Battalions. As a key unit of Regiment 764, Battalion 41 has a tradition of participating in and achieving good results in competitions organized by the Logistics sector; in 2008, it won first prize in the "Regular Cultural Dining Hall and Kitchen" competition at the Military Region level; and in 2009, it was selected as a model for the All-Army Logistics Training Conference to visit.

Captain Nguyen Huy Du, Deputy Political Officer of Battalion 41, said: “Participating in the 2015 Excellent Production Battalion Competition at the Military Region level, the Battalion Party Committee and Command organized activities and ideological education for the troops, building determination and considering this a favorable opportunity to invest in basic infrastructure, improve the quality of building a regular, green, clean, and beautiful unit, consolidate the environmental landscape, especially the system of gardens, ponds, livestock pens, and trellises serving production tasks, contributing to improving the material and spiritual lives of the troops...”.

Officers and soldiers of Battalion 41 tend to mushrooms at the concentrated cultivation area.

The battalion has fully established and perfected a system of documents and records in compliance with regulations and guidelines from higher authorities; the records are complete, clear, scientific, and regularly updated in a timely and effective manner. Captain Dau Hong Son, the battalion commander, said: “With the high determination and effort of the officers and soldiers, the battalion has now completed 32 out of 32 criteria of the competition, with many criteria being completed excellently and exceeding the set standards...”.

Currently, the battalion's total garden area reaches 4,800 m2, planned and arranged rationally and scientifically. On average, it reaches 40 m2/person, achieving 160% of the regulation. The concentrated agricultural production area has been basically constructed; the road and access system has been basically built; plots, parcels, signs, and entrance gates are properly organized. The system of pits for storing and processing organic fertilizer is well-organized and complies with regulations, ensuring environmental hygiene. Based on the planting schedule, season, and topographical and soil characteristics, the unit has directed the planting of suitable vegetables, roots, and fruits, diversifying the crops according to the season. The unit currently maintains 10 types of leafy vegetables including: cabbage, mustard greens, white cabbage, radish, amaranth, jute mallow, water spinach, lettuce, and chives; and 5 types of vegetables, roots, and fruits including: green squash, papaya, kohlrabi, green beans, and fragrant gourd. Ensuring 100% self-sufficiency in green vegetables for the kitchen...

The irrigation system has been upgraded with an automatic system using self-flowing and rotating sprinklers, combined with manual watering by soldiers using hoses and direct watering. The trellis is sturdily constructed with pre-cast concrete columns, securely connected, and covered with mesh, covering an area of ​​1,200 m2, averaging 10 m2 per person, achieving 125% of the prescribed target. The herb garden covers an area of ​​200 m2 with a variety of herbs such as scallions, basil, coriander, watercress, betel leaves, galangal, lemongrass, chili peppers, etc., in appropriate proportions to meet the needs of the mess hall. The garden for making drinking water covers an area of ​​200 m2, mainly planted with moringa trees, a plant with very high nutritional value. Currently, the unit has harvested and used them in the mess hall for both drinking water and soup for the soldiers (the unit's soil conditions are not suitable for growing green tea, etc.). The orchard, covering an area of ​​over 200 square meters, is scattered throughout the barracks, ensuring a pleasant landscape, providing shade, and yielding edible fruits such as mangoes, sapodillas, longans, lychees, etc. The training vegetable garden, covering 100 square meters, is scientifically arranged and features over 30 common types of wild vegetables.

Officers and soldiers of Battalion 41 inspect the reserve logistical supplies.

The battalion invested in completely renovating the entire trellis system (on the pond) with a sturdy, durable steel frame and concrete pillars, covering a total area of ​​900m2, averaging 7.5m2 per person, achieving 150% of the target. The focus is primarily on cultivating high-quality crops such as white gourds, green squash, and fragrant melons, ensuring sufficient tubers and fruits for the mess hall and combat readiness reserves as required. In addition, there is a 100m2 seedling nursery; a 200m2 vegetable garden (sweet potato leaves) for livestock; and a 700m2 water spinach pond.

Based on the existing livestock facilities, the battalion has replanned and expanded the breeding pens for buffaloes, cattle, pigs, and waterfowl at the barracks and the 573rd rear base area. The total area of ​​the unit's livestock area is currently 1,200m2, of which 500m2 is at the unit and 700m2 at the rear base. Currently, the battalion maintains a herd of over 200 fattening pigs, with an average weight of over 80 kg at slaughter, averaging 1.6 pigs per person, exceeding the prescribed target by 400%. The battalion has 5 breeding sows, which gave birth to 3 litters in 2015, providing 40% of the piglets. Currently, the battalion has built and regularly uses a biogas digester to process waste, providing a source of fuel for cooking animal feed and ensuring environmental hygiene. At the 573rd rear base, the battalion also regularly cares for the breeding cows. The unit has a large number of poultry and waterfowl, including approximately 200 chickens and over 2,000 ducks for both meat and egg production, averaging 18 birds per person, achieving 600% of the set target. The unit applies a contract-based system for livestock farming, with a designated person in charge. The unit provides partial funding for the repair and maintenance of barns and the purchase of breeding stock. The unit invested 70 million VND in cash and 1,000 man-days of soldier labor to construct new brick walls for the three existing fish ponds, ensuring they are sturdy, durable, and aesthetically pleasing; the total area is 1,500 m², averaging 12 m² per person. They raise high-quality fish species such as grass carp, common carp, silver carp, and tilapia, yielding three harvests per year, averaging 20 kg per person per year.

Colonel Duong Minh Hien, Deputy Commander of the Military Command and Head of the Steering Committee for "The Army's Logistics Sector Following President Ho Chi Minh's Teachings" of the Provincial Military Command, stated: "The 2015 Excellent Production Battalion Competition at the Military Region level is a highly practical competition, contributing to a significant transformation in the material and spiritual lives of the troops; creating a clear change in the landscape of the barracks, making them greener, cleaner, and more beautiful; the production system is planned, arranged, built, and renovated in a more regular and synchronized manner; and the sense of responsibility of the troops in production tasks is enhanced. The quality of products obtained from livestock farming and crop cultivation is ensured in terms of both economic efficiency and food safety, thereby contributing to improving the quality of meals for the troops and creating a welfare fund for the unit..."

Text and photos:

Nguyen Phong Quang