Priority should be given to allocating land and forests to poor households and ethnic minorities.
(Baonghean.vn) - Regarding the allocation of forest land, during a meeting with Quy Chau district on the afternoon of September 6th, Ms. Cao Thi Xuan - Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council - requested that priority be given to poor households and ethnic minorities.
Continuing its working visit to Quy Chau district, on the afternoon of September 6th, the National Assembly's Ethnic Affairs Council held a meeting with the District People's Committee to discuss the situation and results of implementing policies and laws on land and forest allocation to ethnic minority and mountainous communities and households during the period 2006-2016. The delegation included Ms. Cao Thi Xuan, Vice Chairwoman of the Ethnic Affairs Council, as the head of the delegation, along with members of the Ethnic Affairs Council, specialists from the Ethnic Affairs Department (National Assembly Office), and representatives from the Central Highlands Steering Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Representing Nghe An province were the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council; the National Assembly Delegation; leaders of the Departments and sectors: Agriculture and Rural Development; Natural Resources and Environment; the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee; the Forest Protection Department; leaders of Quy Chau district and relevant departments and agencies. |
From 2006 to 2016, Quy Chau district assigned 78 village communities to manage 1,418.31 hectares of forest land, achieving 100% of the plan. However, the entire area has not yet been granted land use rights certificates.
During the same period, the district also allocated a total of 40,023 hectares of forest land to 8,335 households. Currently, 4,250 households with 20,516.728 hectares have been granted land use rights (accounting for 51%).
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| Ms. Cao Thi Xuan noted that Quy Chau district needs to expedite the process of allocating land and forests, and completing procedures for granting land use rights, prioritizing poor households and ethnic minorities. Photo: Cong Kien |
After being allocated land and forest, local communities and households organized management and protection in accordance with regulations. The planted forest area increased from 815.5 hectares (in 2006) to 1,623.1 hectares (in 2016); forest cover increased correspondingly from 70.4% to 74.6%. The rights of communities and households were implemented relatively fully and promptly. Forest planters and those involved in forest conservation and protection benefited from forest products and payments for forest environmental services.
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| Scene from the working session. Photo: Cong Kien |
Based on the aforementioned facts, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district assesses that the policy of assigning forests to communities and families is in line with practical requirements and is supported by the people. As a result, it contributes to job creation and improved living standards, while forest management and protection are carried out quite seriously.
Based on this, the District People's Committee proposes that the Government and relevant ministries and agencies provide support mechanisms and policies regarding funding and the conversion of some natural forest areas so that people have land for production. They also propose facilitating the process of preparing documents for issuing land use rights certificates for forestry land to the people, and continuing to review the area of forestry farms in the district, transferring critical protection forest land to the locality for allocation to poor households and ethnic minorities who lack land for production.
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| Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hien, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province, discussed the difficulties faced by local people in the production process due to the management of forest land by forestry farms in Quy Chau district. (Photo: Cong Kien) |
Members of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council's Supervisory Delegation and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hien, Deputy Head of the Nghe An Provincial National Assembly Delegation, questioned several related issues, including: clarifying the use of 16,000 hectares of forest land; responsibility for the delay in issuing Certificates of Land Use Rights for forestry; specifying the entities managing the forest area; income levels from forest conservation and protection; the relationship between the people and Quy Chau Forestry Station and Co Ba Forestry Station; and solutions to address the shortage of production land.
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| Mr. Lang Van Chien, member of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Quy Chau District Party Committee, discussed the obstacles and solutions to further promote the policy of allocating land and forests to poor ethnic minority households. Photo: Cong Kien |
On behalf of the Supervisory Delegation, Ms. Cao Thi Xuan noted that the locality needs to expedite the land and forest allocation process and the procedures for granting land use rights, prioritizing poor households and ethnic minorities. Regarding the large amount of land currently managed by forestry enterprises that is not being utilized effectively, solutions need to be found to reclaim it and hand it over to the people.
Cong Kien